The markets closed on a strong note today and I think the smart folks are seeing the French election as a very positive sign that all the misplaced Eurosterity will now reverse course, giving way to more strategic public investment. That said, an economic curve ball can always be around the corner. The markets closed on a strong note today and I think the smart folks are seeing the French election as a very positive sign that all the misplaced Eurosterity will now reverse course, giving way to more strategic public investment. That said, an economic curve ball can always be around the corner.

I think it’s safe to say that Monsieur Sarkozy will not be missed.  Let’s hope that the recent election with François Gérard Georges Hollande winning 56% of the vote to Aubry's 43% will signal a new period of badly needed increased public investment in French infrastructure and education.   This in turn should lead other European nations out of the self-imposed Dark Ages of the 21^st Century.  

Back home, the economy could still affect the American election but mistakenly so, if it does at all. No one person can control the economy directly. That said, President Obama can put policies in place like another stimulus, mortgage principle reduction, and an aggressive infrastructure investment program modeled after FDR's WPA program or the CCC creating lots of jobs. Gasoline prices are a dangerous variable here. A universal tax imposed multilaterally by, say, G20 or OECD on global speculation trading would throw a wet blanket on rising gas prices very quickly.

Austerity and free market reign didn’t work for Sarkozy and it certainly will not be an option for Mr. Hollande.  Que Sera, Sera but not on my Euro.