We have to agree that we are in a period of uncertainty, the diplomatic car crash of the Oval office meeting a few weeks ago followed by the threat of tariffs coming into focus has everyone reeling.
Certainly the view from President Trump is reshaping the US economy and market will break some eggs (if you can afford them that is!) – and we are seeing this played out in real time in the US stock market.
Yesterday saw the tech heavy NASDAQ index drop around 4% and giving up most of the gains that we have seen since President Trump was elected last year.
Some shares have been hit more than other and links to the Magnificant 7 seem to be high on the receiving end of this sell off. Recession fears, tariff warnings and the issues over Ukraine seem to be weighing heavily on investors minds.
The forecast for US growth is being unwound and we are seeing some impact on consumer confidence and pricing, all of which will impact the global economy due to investment and uncertainty.
Tesla dropped 15% on Monday and I can see why, I was and still am a bit of a Tesla fanboy, although the association with Elon Musk doesn’t sit well with me. The power of the personal brand is now damaging the reputation of Tesla as a car company. I ordered the new Tesla model Y (Juniper) a few months ago, but cancelled it last month because I just felt I wasn’t getting enough for my money. I definitely was influenced by Elon’s political stance and his rants on X.
So Tesla, its shareholders and employees suffer as the the founder spends more time on many other projects than the company that he started and created a cult following behind.
In consumer businesses I am always a little nervous about founders being the “face” of the brand as at some point they will no longer be it!
Kevin Dorren 
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