Finance & economics | Buttonwood

Why financial markets are so oddly calm

Indicators of market volatility have plunged

Illustration of a leg with a graph pattern on its trousers, stepping on a cube with a banana skin on it that looks like Donald Trump's hair
Illustration: Satoshi Kambayashi

One thing nobody thinks of Donald Trump’s return to the White House is that it will herald four years of quiet, predictable government. Here, then, is a puzzle for readers interested in the more abstract bits of finance. Why was Mr Trump’s re-election greeted by resounding drops in volatility all across the world’s most important markets?

Explore more

This article appeared in the Finance & economics section of the print edition under the headline “Risk off”

From the November 16th 2024 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

Discover more

Donald Trump in Brownsville, Texas on November 19th 2024

Trump wastes no time in reigniting trade wars

Canada and Mexico look likely to suffer

Illustration of a large anvil falling down on a government building.

How Trump, Starmer and Macron can avoid a debt crunch

With deficits soaring, their finance ministers will have to be smart


Scott Bessent speaks at the National Conservative Conference in Washington, DC.

What Scott Bessent’s appointment means for the Trump administration

The president-elect’s nominee for treasury secretary faces a gruelling job


What Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders get wrong about credit cards

Forget interest rates. Rewards are the real problem

Computers unleashed economic growth. Will artificial intelligence?

Two years after ChatGPT-3.5 arrived, progress has been slower than expected

Should investors just give up on stocks outside America?

No, but it is getting a lot harder to keep the faith