Happy 250th Birthday, USA! As Fourth of July barbecues sizzle, we look ahead to this autumn’s hot topic: the US midterm elections. We had the pleasure of interviewing Nicholas Van Ness, Group Chief Economist for the US at Crédit Agricole CIB, and Amy Greene, Franco-American Senior Fellow at the Institut Montaigne, renowned specialist and author on US politics, who is also a regular guest at Indosuez Wealth Management client events. The race is a close a call and the first occasion for voters nationwide to deliver a verdict on two years of Trump 2.0. The question of affordability undeniably lingers in the forefront. But are Democrats ready for the comeback? What impact can we expect from a divided government? One thing is for sure, market volatility is to be expected, but it is not motivation enough, according to our cross-asset strategist, to shy away from stock market opportunities, even if the non-negligible risk of politically motivated fiscal stimulus checks coming up to the November election could add pressure on rates.