Market stability is an evolutionary process where each crisis acts as a learning event. The 2008 crash taught policymakers how to respond with tools like credit facilities, enabling a much faster, more effective response to the COVID-19 shock. Crises are not just failures but necessary reps that improve systemic resilience.

Because U.S. tariff levels are likely to remain stable regardless of legal challenges, the more critical factor for the long-term outlook is how companies adapt. Investors should focus on corporate responses in capital spending and supply chain adjustments rather than the tariff levels themselves.

While markets fixate on Fed rate decisions, the primary driver of liquidity and high equity valuations is geopolitical risk influencing international trade and capital flows. This macro force is more significant than domestic monetary policy and explains market resilience despite higher rates.

The negative economic impact of tariffs was weaker than forecast because key transmission channels failed to materialize. A lack of foreign retaliation, a depreciating dollar that boosted exports, and a surprisingly strong stock market prevented the anticipated tightening of financial conditions.

Contrary to a simple narrative of improved market sentiment, EM sovereign resilience stemmed from unexpectedly strong macro fundamentals. Better-than-forecast current account balances, export performance, FDI, and portfolio inflows were the primary drivers of stability, exceeding even conservative projections from two years prior.

Contrary to typical pessimism, European financial and government officials are relatively optimistic about their economic outlook. They believe they successfully navigated the Trump tariffs with minimal damage, though concerns about future trade disputes and unmet investment commitments remain.

The deleveraging that followed the 2008 financial crisis—simpler bank balance sheets, more corporate cash, and tighter lending—created a multi-year environment where corporate bond supply was constrained. This scarcity insulated markets from supply-driven volatility, a condition that is only now ending.

Despite significant US tariffs hitting labor-intensive goods, China's overall export volume remains strong. This resilience stems from a structural shift towards high-tech sectors like semiconductors and autos, combined with strategically rerouting trade through intermediary ASEAN countries to circumvent direct tariffs.

Despite what is described as "stupid" and "sclerotic" economic policies like tariffs and trade wars, the U.S. economy continues to grow. This resilience is not due to government strategy but to the relentless daily innovation of American businesses, which succeed in spite of, not because of, macro-level decisions.