Blain’s Morning Porridge May 19th, 2026 – Why are politics so broken when markets are so strong?“The only thing that scares me is Keyser Soze.”Why are markets so high when the global outlook, trade and domestic politics look so vulnerable? Is it because investors perceive that corporates hold such power in the economy, they now set the agenda? What the global economy may need is a reset, but at present there are few signs the problem of power and wealth inequality will be reversed or addressed. What a curious world we live in. The US president has made himself a billionaire through astute insider trading he’ll never be touched for, and just made a trip to Beijing, surrounded by other billionaires – billionaires representing what America has now become. Look at our strength. Look at our wealth. Look at our power. If that’s what The Emperor Xi saw, he didn’t show it as he provided guidance to Trump on the decline of the American age.I am not sure Markets know what to make of it. On one hand they are putting a premium on corporate strength and profits stretching into infinity. On the other they see broken politics, rising populism, insurmountable debt, and broken public services. Any fool knows that successful economies need consumption and confidence to drive them – and that inequality spells social crisis.You can read the Morning Porridge by subscribing on ⁠www.morningporridge.com⁠, and have it delivered fresh to your inbox every morning!

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