presidential election

Submitted by Louis Rouanet via The Mises Institute,

It seems fashionable nowadays to compare Donald Trump to Marine Le Pen or the Trump movement to the French National Front. The idea behind this comparison is to suggest that the French far right might very well win the coming presidential elections in May 2017 and create a French “Trump surprise.” But, as when it came to comparisons between Brexit and Trump, comparisons between Trump and Le Pen tend to be hyped.

Israel is looking forward to the election of Donald Trump as the next president of the United States as it may allow resumption of illegal settlement building in East Jerusalem. Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election may spark a building boom in East Jerusalem as Israeli authorities consider starting a wave of illegal settlement construction that was frozen under President Obama.

The shadow cold war between the US and Russia may finally be over.

One week ago, Vladimir Putin explicitly called Donald Trump - something he hasn't done to a standing US president in years - in which the Russian leader congratulated the president-elect on his victory in the presidential election, wished him "success in the implementation of the pre-election program, and noted his willingness to build a partnership dialogue with the new administration on the principles of equality, mutual respect and non-interference in the internal affairs of each other."

• Dollar dips, stocks fall as Trumpflation trade pauses (Reuters)
• A profile of RenTec's Medallion fund: Inside a Moneymaking Machine Like No Other (BBG)
• Mattis, Christie, Giuliani in contention for top posts (Reuters)
• Paulson’s Big Long: A Bet on Trump Yields Power and Profit (BBG)
• Ex-PM Fillon is favorite to win French conservative presidential ticket (Reuters)
• In weekend of deliberation, Mattis favored for Trump Pentagon chief (Reuters)
• Citigroup Leads U.S. Banks Higher in Global Systemic Risk List (BBG)

With the Trumpflation euphoria easing back slightly overnight, leading to a modest paring in the USD index and US Treasury yields, Asian and European stocks rose, while US equity futures rebounded to just shy of new all time highs, as crude jumped on renewed optimism that OPEC will agree to cut output; Italian equities underperformed ahead of the Italian referendum; metals rebounded from last week’s losses as yields dropped and the dollar halted its longest winning streak versus the euro.