2025-04-08 13:27 +0200 - 3 min read
I just lost about $1,500.
At the beginning of Fall 2024, my mom gave me some money to help cover rent while I study in Prague. I’m incredibly grateful for her support, but I knew I didn’t want that money just sitting there, losing value to inflation. I needed to find a way to invest it, hoping to at least compensate for inflation and maybe even earn a little extra.
Stocks were the obvious first thought. Since it was money she’d earned, it felt right to discuss it with her first. She thought it was a great idea, so I went ahead and bought some. By the end of 2024, my portfolio was roughly 50% in an S&P 500 index fund, 30% in AMD, and 20% in TSMC. Things were looking good - I was up about 15%! That gain meant I could cover nearly half a year’s living expenses without touching the original amount.
Unfortunately, the good times didn’t last. After Donald Trump was elected, he started doing things that seemed, well, just crazy. Last week, he announced new, increased trade tariffs targeting pretty much every country. Look, I’m not an economist - far from it - but even basic reasoning suggests this is insane. Like, yeah, maybe it boosts domestic independence eventually, but can the economy even survive the deep downturn these policies might cause before we ever see those benefits?
Now, my portfolio is down about 20%. It’s definitely upsetting. Initially, I wasn’t rushing to sell, because I still believe the US economy has huge potential, especially with the current AI race. But then today, I read that China retaliated with its own 34% counter-tariffs - a significant response. What happened next genuinely shocked me: the US demanded China cancel the tariffs, threatening another 50% if they didn’t comply. It’s just ridiculous. Of all the countries in the world, China is arguably one of the most self-sufficient. Plus, they manufacture a huge amount of the goods sold in the US!
This whole situation is really upsetting. It feels so crazy I can barely wrap my head around it. I honestly can’t believe some politicians can be this ignorant. I keep trying to see if I’m missing something, if maybe I’m the one who doesn’t understand. But every time, I just can’t find a reasonable explanation for what’s going on.
I really didn’t want to do this, but I’m selling all my stocks today. It probably feels safer this way. I just don’t feel comfortable having significant money tied up in the US market while its government is acting so unpredictably.
Turns out politics is way more important and connected to everything than I ever expected.