Taxes, deficits and federal debt, “Oh my!”

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The U.S election is just a few short weeks away, and many investors are picking through campaign-trail noise to decipher what policies each administration would pursue and their implications. With both Former President Trump’s and Vice President Harris’s campaigns promising hefty amounts of spending but few clues on how it will be funded, the longer-term trajectory for taxes, the deficit and federal debt is largely uncertain, but must be addressed. According to the Congressional Budget Office, U.S. debt held by the public as a percent of GDP is expected to increase from a likely 98% in fiscal 2024 to over 120% in 2034. This assumes that provisions from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act sunset as scheduled and increase taxes by $4 trillion at the end of 2025. If these tax cuts are extended, however, debt held by the public could rise to 130% of GDP over the same period. Regardless, policies from either side of the aisle will impact the fiscal health of the United States, and as a result, the balance of risks and opportunities that investors must consider when building portfolios.

Gabriela Santos, Chief Market Strategist for the Americas, is back with Dr. David Kelly, Chief Global Strategist here at J.P. Morgan Asset Management, to discuss the different paths forward for fiscal policy.

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