Trump’s Economy, Irish Nationalism, Goodbye Biden, Hello Sanders
3:00: Is all this bullishness related to Trump? A lot of it hinged on President Trump's extraordinary week from his acquittal to his State of the Union address to the Democratic mess in Iowa. The possibility of Trump's re-election this year suddenly ratcheted much higher. That's positive to a lot of global investors who like Trump. And it's even positive to a lot of investors who dislike Trump because it removes uncertainty.
12:35: Coronavirus remains worrisome. According to the official numbers, 43,000 are now infected, over 1,000 have died, and roughly 4,000 have recovered. The daily death toll continues to accelerate: Yesterday, it exceeded 100 in 24 hours for the first time. I'm confident these numbers are all gross underestimates. Even if the 1,000-fatality count is accurate, many health experts are pointing out that it is inconceivable that only 4,000 have recovered.
17:50: Leader of Germany’s CDU party stepped down. Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (AKK) had long been regarded as the frontrunner to succeed Angela Markel. Her stepping down came after she had instructed CDU politicians in Thuringia not to vote for the Free Democrat candidate for that state’s local prime minister. The CDU members defied her wishes and joined the far-right Alternativ fur Deutschland party in electing the Free Democrat. The vote with the AFD shows the weakness of Merkel's successors in being able…