‘US exceptionalism roars back’ as markets defy doomsayers and draw record foreign inflows after panic over Trump tariffs

The latest information from the Treasury Division reveals that foreigners plowed a internet $311.1 billion into U.S. securities in Might, a record excessive, after pulling out $14.2 billion in April.

“All that is notable as a result of so many commentators prophesied the top of US ‘exceptionalism’ after the turbulence of current months,” Robin Brooks, a senior fellow on the Brookings Establishment, wrote Wednesday in a put up titled “US exceptionalism roars again” on his Substack. “The fact is that markets are much more accepting of all of the ups and downs than folks understand. US ‘exceptionalism’ is alive and nicely.”

In the meantime, for the 12 months via Might, internet foreign inflows neared their all-time excessive from July 2023, once they topped $1.4 trillion to mark the height of the American exceptionalism narrative in markets, he added.

The rebound in Might alerts a surprising turnaround from April, as Wall Road feared the top of U.S. supremacy within the world financial system and markets.

Within the rapid aftermath of “Liberation Day,” the S&P 500 flirted with a bear market, crashing almost 20% from its prior excessive whereas the Nasdaq handed that threshold.

The ten-year Treasury yield initially plunged however then soared greater than 70 foundation factors in simply days as traders frightened high U.S. debt holders would dump their holdings.

However a month later, the alternative occurred.

“The hurdle for the US to expertise real capital flight is excessive and definitely wasn’t breached in April,” Brooks wrote.

To make certain, the 10-year yield stays above its pre-Liberation Day stage, and the greenback has suffered its worst first half in additional than 50 years.

And whereas the S&P 500 and Nasdaq have retaken their prior data and proceed to cost even greater, inventory indexes in Europe and China are nonetheless outperforming U.S. rivals.

In the meantime, talks with Japan and commerce companions have cemented tariffs charges which are greater than the preliminary 10% baseline. Negotiations with different international locations are nonetheless ongoing, and failure to succeed in a deal might ship tariff charges even greater.

However, market veteran Ed Yardeni, president of Yardeni Analysis, was additionally heartened by the information exhibiting record inflows into U.S. markets.

“So, we take consolation from the information that verify that it’s the bears on the outlook for an enormous selloff in US bonds, US equities, and the US greenback who could be delusional, not us,” he wrote on Monday. “Our religion within the kindness of strangers has been validated by the newest Treasury information.

Just some months in the past, high names on Wall Road had been sounding the alarm on Trump’s tariffs and their long-term repercussions.

Citadel founder and CEO Ken Griffin warned in April that the nation was eroding its “model,” explaining that from American tradition to its monetary and navy power, the U.S. is an aspiration for a lot of the world.

 “On the monetary markets, no model can evaluate to the model of the U.S. Treasuries… we put that model in danger,” he mentioned, including that it takes a really very long time to take away the tarnish on a model. 

In Might, Mohamed El-Erian, chief financial advisor at Allianz, mentioned the period of U.S. exceptionalism has “been placed on pause.”

And final month, Deutsche Financial institution mentioned America’s prized exceptionalism is the collateral injury of Trump’s tariff struggle.

“Our outlook argues that the structural foundations of U.S. exceptionalism—significantly the power to finance itself cheaply through the greenback’s reserve standing—have begun to erode,” economist Jim Reid wrote in a be aware. “So we stay structurally bearish on the greenback and anticipate U.S. time period premia to maintain rising.”