Worst first year of a term since George W. Bush

Worst first year of a term since George W. Bush

https://www.aol.com/articles/trump-stock-market-worst-first-090046522.html

Publish Date: 2026-01-25 04:42:00

Source Domain: www.aol.com

Here is a summary of the article in an unordered list with key points:

– The S&P 500 gained 13.3% across President Donald Trump’s first year of his second term in 2026, which marks the weakest start to a new presidential term since 2005.
– This was lower than the 24.1% gain of the S&P 500 in the first year of Trump’s first term in 2017.
– Stocks climbed higher in 2025 driven by enthusiasm about artificial intelligence, optimism about Federal Reserve interest rate cuts, robust corporate earnings, and a resilient economy.
– International stocks outperformed US stocks in 2025 for the first time in years.
– The first year of Trump’s second term saw solid, but volatile gains with historic surges in the VIX fear gauge in the spring due to tariff uncertainty.
– Analysts and investors are focused on long-term fundamentals like strong earnings growth, the AI boom and supportive fiscal policy despite short-term volatility.
– Experts advise staying disciplined, reassessing asset allocation and rebalancing portfolios in light of market gains and underlying policy uncertainties.