While comparing U.S. equity market returns over the past 35 years with those of France and Japan, investor Martin Shkreli issued a sharp warning regarding the growing influence of progressive lawmakers on the nation’s economy.
Our Markets Will ‘Look Like Theirs’
On Tuesday, in a post on X, Shkreli highlighted the annual returns of global equity markets, pointing out that from 1990 to today, a span of more than 35 years, U.S. stocks have delivered 8.7% annually.
Over that same stretch, he noted, Japanese equities returned just 0.7% yearly, while France generated only 0.6% annually over the past 25 years, which is significantly lower compared to American returns.
Popularly known as “Pharma Bro,” Shkreli framed this gap as a product of policy differences between the countries, suggesting that the weaker returns reflect more restrictive, intervention-heavy approaches compared with the U.S. regulatory environment.
He said this while warning about the rising influence of progressive Democratic policymakers such as Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), New York City Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani and Lina Khan, Former Commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission.
According to Shkreli, the more such leaders are allowed to make and influence policy, “the more our returns will look like theirs,” referring to the French and Japanese equity markets.
Modern Progressivism Is Broken
Tech giant Palantir Technologies Inc.’s (NASDAQ:PLTR) CEO, Alex Karp, recently slammed the modern progressive movement, saying that it is “clearly not progressive.”
He framed the true meaning of progressivism as “the working class [does] better tomorrow than they did today and know it,” noting that years of unchecked immigration had suppressed wages and undermined worker protections.
Palantir’s co-founder Joe Lonsdale similarly criticized progressive leaders, particularly attacking former FTC chair Lina Khan, calling her a “total radical” for her relentless actions against big businesses. “She's a bully,” he said, adding, “She's trying to apply theories the courts have consistently struck down.”
Read More:
Photo Courtesy: Lester Balajadia on Shutterstock.com
