Normally, investors rush into Treasurys at a whiff of economic chaos but now they are selling them as not even the lure of higher interest payments on the bonds is getting them to buy. The freak development has experts worried that big banks, funds and traders are losing faith in America as a good place to store their money.
“The fear is the U.S. is losing its standing as the safe haven,” said George Cipolloni, a fund manager at Penn Mutual Asset Management. “Our bond market is the biggest and most stable in the world, but when you add instability, bad things can happen.”
That could be bad news for consumers in need of a loan — and for President Donald Trump, who had hoped his tariff pause earlier this week would restore confidence in the markets.
If US Bonds are no longer the de facto safe haven asset…
The USD is no longer the world’s de facto reserve currency.
That means that even if all the tariffs were rescinded, Trump croaked and somehow JD Vance took a ‘be at least somewhat more competent and less stupid’ pill, and never reinstated them…
Well it would mean the dollar would crash against other currencies, we wouldn’t be able to import anywhere near as much, and US international debt payments as a percentage of the yearly budget would climb fast.
… And then that could spiral into both massive austerity at home, and/or ‘lol we are defaulting on our international debt’ either by formal declaration, or… basically hyperinflation.
It’s too late for that. The US has shown that any appearance of stability can be upended at the whim of whatever singular person is president at the time, and there are no systems in place to prevent that. The idea of “checks and balances” has been shown to be a lie.
Trump signed a trade agreement with Canada and Mexico last time he was president and immediately violated them at the start of this term. He’s been constantly back and forth on tariffs with no warning. The word of the US has become completely worthless.
It doesn’t matter if all Republicans suddenly realize “this is bad”, remove Trump, and put someone stable in his place. The world had been shown that regardless of how stable the current president is, in 4 years the citizens could vote for a complete idiot (and I remind you Trump did win the popular vote. The citizens voted for this) and the market is in turmoil again.
Other countries aren’t unstable idiots of course and aren’t going to tear up existing agreements (because they value stability) but they sure as fuck won’t be renewing any contracts (at least not without far less favorable terms for the US and escape hatches incase another idiot is put in charge) and will be making contracts with other nations instead.
Trump has killed the US and a financial superpower, the US just doesn’t know it yet. It won’t be felt until existing contracts expire and new ones are signed.
No disagreements, no notes.
We (USians) are completely cooked, totally fucked.
We’d have to erect a new government, and then actually demonstrate stability for a decade or two… to begin to be able to undo Trump’s damage, to be treated as anything other than basically a rogue nation that also has the world’s… either the first or second largest/most powerful military.
I can only hope some more civilized places may begin to more seriously consider Americans seeking asylum… though I of course completely understand why they wouldn’t.
It’s the God damn mainstream propaganda media and the uneducated morons fucking shit up.
You sound smart.
You can pack your stuff and see yourself out or you can roll the dice with our staff of 19 year old tuff bois.
Roll the dice huh?
You know, I’m actually really into TTRPGs… and I actually keep my a few of my dice on me as a sort of silly good luck charm, here, lemme show you!
rolls for initiative in my own mind
reaches into jacket, draws concealed pistol
then u sell ur aircraft carriers and f35s lul
That’s not what happens in this scenario… Those aircraft carriers and F35s get activated.
For another victory in Afghanistan?
Hey.
HEY!
There are a lot of penguins on some godforsaken island in the middle of nowhere that need to be bombed until they understand democracy and freedom.
(‘freedom’ and ‘democracy’ subject to terms and conditions, limited time offer, no refunds)
Oh sure, here, buy our aircraft carriers and aircraft that even we can barely understand our own logistics and and maintenance supply lines and procedures for, that will all nearly mmediately break if they stop getting software updates.
Like, I hear you lol, but its kinda like saying ‘sell your literally custom made hyper car that will depreiciate by 80% in value and the parts manufacturer will go out of business when you buy the car.’
I am saying you’d have to be an idiot at this point to buy one, we wouldn’t be able to sell them at this point.
Now I am all for downsizing the military in general, have been for basically all my life since middle school… but uh yeah, that would look more like decommissioning and downsizing.
But uh also also, the military industrial complex are basically the only domestic manufacturing jobs we really have, aside of our shitty overpriced domestically assembled but internationally owned and sourced consumer cars… and the Trumpublican party is, you know, in charge, what with the fascist coup and all that.