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America just turned every newborn into a shareholder. The new "Trump accounts" give babies born between 2025 and 2028 a $1,000 government contribution, plus potential employer and philanthropic add-ons. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent calls it "the beginning of the shareholder economy," and he's not wrong: This is the logical endpoint of decades of shifting financial risk from institutions onto individuals. People are having mixed reactions:

You see, pensions became 401(k)s, college savings became 529s, and now even infants get market exposure before they can hold their heads up. Something, something, foregone conclusion. Anyway, not everyone’s buying the pitch. Some economists have already pointed out that these accounts are just as likely to magnify inequality and increase risk, especially since wealthier families can contribute more and higher-income workers are likelier to get employer matches.

But here's the kicker: this passed as part of a bill that simultaneously cut Medicaid and SNAP benefits. We’re kinda sorta trading guaranteed social insurance for market exposure...So while Wall Street is salivating at the prospect of managing trillions in new assets, the rest of us get to explain compound interest to toddlers.

Corporate America’s Christmas party is just gonna have to ignore the white elephant in the room. Layoff announcements hit 1.17 million this year (the most since COVID) with Verizon alone axing 13,000 jobs and AI getting credit for nearly 55,000 pink slips. Yet somehow, unemployment claims just hit a three-year low. If anyone tells you anything about the labor market except "it's complicated", they’re blowing smoke 😂

Tariffs have pushed supply chains out of China and into the broader Southeast Asia market. Imports from Vietnam are up 23%, Indonesia 5%, and India 19%. That’s good news for emerging-market ETFs and logistics firms, less so for US importers now scrambling for cash as tariffs bite into margins. Cash is becoming king again (and that might have been the 4D chess move all along).

But if you thought your wallet was safe, you must be skipping the meat aisle. Beef prices are up almost 15% as the US cattle herd shrinks to its smallest size since 1951. Drought, tariffs, and cattle disease are tag-teaming ranchers, and even Omaha Steaks, who haven't raised prices in three years, are starting to crack. The cattle cycle takes 8–12 years to reset, so get comfortable with expensive burgers.

Elected officials have had a tremendous amount of success in the market recently.

I want to keep you updated on what they’re trading and when so you can leverage that intel as you plan out your own portfolio.

Data provided by AltIndex and Quiver Quantitative.

Remember to always DYOR.

That’s all for today. Write us and let us know your thoughts on the market, the newsletter, or the weather—we’d just love to hear from you.

Till next time,
— Brandon and Blake with Invested Inc.