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The Bidens and Ukraine — You Knew It Would Come to This

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The Bidens and Ukraine — You Knew It Would Come to This

Author: Greg Valliere

October 15, 2020

WITH DONALD TRUMP STILL TRAILING by about 10 points, it’s time for an October surprise, and a doozy is percolating. Like a bad spy novel, this involves Hunter Biden, Rudy Giuliani, the New York Post and charges of social media censoring.

WILL ANY OF THIS MATTER? Joe Biden raised an astonishing $383 million in September, more than enough to pay for a TV ad blitz in the next two weeks — as the Trump camp struggles to find enough money to compete in over a dozen key states.

HERE COMES THE NEW YORK POST with allegations, based on information on a laptop computer allegedly owned by Hunter Biden that got into Giuliani’s hands. There doesn’t appear to be a “smoking gun” that could derail the former vice president, who pushed back aggressively yesterday over allegations that he ever met with a controversial Ukrainian energy official.

BUT TRUMP SUDDENLY HAS TWO ISSUES: First, conservatives are furious that companies like Facebook and Twitter moved to censor the allegations. The Wall Street Journal editorial page took the bait this morning, claiming that these companies have a bias that favors the left.

SECOND, EVEN IF THERE’S NO SMOKING GUN, this will become a Republican crusade against the very controversial Hunter Biden, whose-well documented cocaine re-habs and fondness for strippers has become fair game for the New York Post and others on the right.

THE POST ARTICLE COULD BE PART of a Russian disinformation campaign, Joe Biden’s camp charged yesterday, so here we are again — could this resemble the 2016 furor over Hillary Clinton’s emails? With Trump well behind in all polls, he has new issues to exploit — and make no mistake, there’s another looming issue: in the final days of the campaign, Biden will be accused of senility.

SO WELCOME TO ANOTHER UGLY CAMPAIGN, sure to heat up in the coming days. But there’s another important issue that won’t go away — the alarming new cases of Covid-19 in hard-hit states like Wisconsin. The one subject that Trump wants to avoid is becoming more alarming.
* * * * *
STIMULUS TALKS, RIP: Treasury Secretary Mnuchin pretty much pulled the plug yesterday on getting a pandemic stimulus bill. He said Nancy Pelosi simply doesn’t want to give Trump a pre-election victory, and he’s correct. Deservedly, Pelosi is getting bad press over her stonewalling.

BUT A STIMULUS BILL WILL PASS: It’s simply a question of when — possibly in a lame duck session, but Republicans won’t be in a mood to spend much. A bill might not pass until later in the winter; many Democrats, hoping for a “Blue Wave,” think they can get a huge measure enacted in February.

THE ECONOMY WILL LOOK GREAT when the third quarter GDP report is released on Oct. 29; the Atlanta Fed is predicting a 35.2% rise. That’s largely because the number will be a statistical make-up for the terrible second quarter report. Actually, signs of a softening economy are increasingly apparent.

BUT THAT WON’T MOTIVATE CONGRESS, which is hopelessly gridlocked on a stimulus bill, just as the need for one becomes increasingly apparent.


The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions of AGF, its subsidiaries or any of its affiliated companies, funds or investment strategies.

The views expressed in this blog are provided as a general source of information based on information available as of the date of publication and should not be considered as personal investment advice or an offer or solicitation to buy and/or sell securities. Speculation or stated believes about future events, such as market or economic conditions, company or security performance, or other projections represent the beliefs of the author and do not necessarily represent the view of AGF, its subsidiaries or any of its affiliated companies, funds or investment strategies. Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy in these commentaries at the time of publication; however, accuracy cannot be guaranteed. Market conditions may change and AGF accepts no responsibility for individual investment decisions arising from the use of or reliance on the information contained herein. Any financial projections are based on the opinions of the author and should not be considered as a forecast. The forward looking statements and opinions may be affected by changing economic circumstances and are subject to a number of uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in the forward looking statements. The information contained in this commentary is designed to provide you with general information related to the political and economic environment in the United States. It is not intended to be comprehensive investment advice applicable to the circumstances of the individual.

AGF Investments is a group of wholly owned subsidiaries of AGF Management Limited, a Canadian reporting issuer. The subsidiaries included in AGF Investments are AGF Investments Inc. (AGFI), AGF Investments America Inc. (AGFA), AGF Investments LLC (AGFUS) and AGF International Advisors Company Limited (AGFIA). AGFA and AGFUS are registered advisors in the U.S. AGFI is a registered as a portfolio manager across Canadian securities commissions. AGFIA is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland and registered with the Australian Securities & Investments Commission. The subsidiaries that form AGF Investments manage a variety of mandates comprised of equity, fixed income and balanced assets.

About AGF Management Limited

Founded in 1957, AGF Management Limited (AGF) is an independent and globally diverse asset management firm. AGF brings a disciplined approach to delivering excellence in investment management through its fundamental, quantitative, alternative and high-net-worth businesses focused on providing an exceptional client experience. AGF’s suite of investment solutions extends globally to a wide range of clients, from financial advisors and individual investors to institutional investors including pension plans, corporate plans, sovereign wealth funds and endowments and foundations.

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©2021 AGF Management Limited. All rights reserved.

Written by

Greg Valliere

Greg Valliere

Chief U.S. Policy Strategist

AGF Investments

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