NORMAL IS OVER!

*This blog was originally posted Jan 2017

What BREXIT, the Chicago Cubs and Donald Trump Mean for 2017 and Beyond

Black swan events are rare, scientifically unpredictable, disproportionately significant occurrences that often shock our psychological biases and play a massive role in history. In 2016 the BREXIT black swan shook the UK, the EU and the world by disrupting a +40 year cycle of European unity after taking its current form in a May 2012 blog post. What started as an internet echo reverberated throughout the UK and ultimately fractured the stressed pillars of the EU. When the US election season began the American establishment chose to double down on the EXACT SAME STRATEGY as the Europeans.

“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.” -Ghandi

At first the mainstream media, or MSM, dismissed Donald Trump, then they mocked him, and fought to spin his MAGA slogan into hate-racism-sexism-xenophobia. The MSM assured us the election was just a silly pre-ceremony for Madam Clinton’s inauguration. No credible poll, pundit or politician had Trump winning the debates, the primaries or the election. But then the votes came in and the image of Donald Trump climbed the Empire State Building like King Kong.

Rhenium Capital kept fairly quiet on our support for Trump. Like many of us on the “alt-right” we were exiled to the internet and the Can’t Stump the Trump YouTube channel. Whenever we vocalized our thoughts on Trump and MAGA we were ignored, mocked and/or laughed at by most of our friends, family and colleagues. Even a B-list celebrity exclaimed “Your ancestors are rolling in their graves!” after our pro Trump Twitter post.

“If providing a platform for white supremacists makes me a brilliant tactician, I am more proud to have lost.”- Jennifer Palmieri, Clinton Campaign Director of Communications

The only thing more shocking, yet predictable and shameful, is the establishment’s continued tantrums. All of this vitriol is nothing more than the final death throes of the MSM, the establishment and what many have accepted as “Normal”.

“Okay, so what does this all mean for CRE and capital markets?”- Our Readers

EVERYTHING! The Trump effect is steadily sweeping away the insanity we call normal. It has already caused a jump in historically low interest rates, Dodd-Frank and ObamaCare are confetti for the GOP juggernaut’s four year party, and Trump is busy setting up leverage for negotiations with China via a simple phone call with Taiwan’s female president- how sexist! The “normal” expansion and contraction of the credit cycle, onerous regulations and financial manipulation from the FED will all be directly challenged short executive order. This will undoubtedly create new opportunities and some potential problems as well.

“Madness is like gravity: all you need is a little push.”- The Joker

To put it plainly, NORMAL IS OVER and the “false economy” is on the chopping block as well. Absolutely nothing is off the table with Trump. He is a true madman and we are sure to see more madness in the markets and media.  By all means, turn off your TV and fire up your browser. The MSM has been wrong, wrong, wrong for some time now. It didn’t forewarn the housing bubble, Lehman Brothers, the bailout, BREXIT, or Trump. Critical thought must now conclude the MSM’s distorted reality is intentional, or at the very least utterly negligent.

Post election we witnessed 24/7 coverage of professional protesters with little attention to the Cubs’ World Series celebration- the 7th largest human gathering in history and the largest gathering in US history EVER. Because the Cubs’ celebration represents the TRUE character of the United States. We are NOT a divided nation! After all, the only thing Americans love more than working hard, competing and WINNING is celebrating our individuality, love, life and our greatest gift of all… our FREEDOM.