Trump Wins, So What Now?

Donald Trump has been elected the 45th president of the US.

For many, that sentence seemed impossible. Nearly every analyst believed that outcome was improbable. However, just like Brexit, what people told pollsters in public wasn't necessarily how they voted once the curtain closed in the voting booth.

So here we are. The table has been set, and dinner is ready. It's time for us to eat the meal that's been prepared for us, whether we like it or not. It's easy to simply throw your hands in the air if you're unhappy with the results, but that type of reaction accomplishes nothing. There is no point crying over spilt milk.

Uncertainty

Looking ahead, much like Brexit, it's tough to predict the true impact of Trump's presidency just yet. Too much has simply not been addressed. His stances have been vague, at best, regarding many issues within financial services. We're also still unsure of what his cabinet will look like. That will be a huge indication of where things are headed.

Back in August, I wrote a column about how Trump, if elected, would call for a moratorium on federal economic regulations. The concept of this, I said, was ridiculous. While I'm far from a shill for the regulators, I understand the fact that halting the implementation of any regulations and simply letting the markets run wild would be madness.

My colleague Peter Madigan at Risk wrote a fantastic feature on what a Clinton or Trump win would mean for Wall Street. I highly recommend you give it a read, but to summarize it, even if the Republicans were able to hold a majority in the House and Senate, Trump still wouldn't be able to strip the Street of all the regulations implemented over the past eight years.

This picture will become clearer as we get closer to Trump's Inauguration Day on January 20. For the time being, though, we can only speculate. With that being said, even Trump's victory speech seemed to be reserved and moderate, characteristics Trump certainly didn't seem to have throughout his 18-month campaign.

The markets, it seems, noticed. After the US futures market took a dive Tuesday night as it became clear Trump would be victorious, the market has stabilized. Still, only time will tell how traders truly react to a Trump presidency.

But for the time being, the best plan of action is to look ahead and try and move forward as a nation. While the Democrats would be wise to look back for a better understanding of what went wrong for them, there is no point lamenting their loss. For Republicans, it is time, as the old saying goes, to put your money where your mouth is. This was your pick. It's time to see what he can do.

As for me, I'm just hoping my prediction about the impact of Brexit doesn't remain so accurate. 

Anthony Malakian, WatersTechnology US editor, and I will be discussing the election on this week's Waters Wavelength podcast. Subscribe on SoundCloud and iTunes to make sure you hear it once it's posted.