Ask people who remain positive about America’s long-term economic future about the reasons for their optimism and many will point to three unique selling points of the country: entrepreneurial spirit, world-class educational institutions and the depth of its financial capital markets.
There is no question that US entrepreneurial spirit has set itself apart from both developing and developed countries over many decades. America is the home of Silicon Valley and the companies that lead the world of technological innovation — encapsulated in the highly valuable technology stocks of the Fangs: Facebook, Amazon, Netflix and Google. The big consumer names of Coca-Cola, McDonald’s and Starbucks continue to dominate their markets globally, as do the automotive giants — Ford, General Motors and now Tesla — and industrial and aeronautical behemoths such as General Electric and Boeing.
The country’s educational institutions also retain their pre-eminence in terms of research and development, and as innovators in medicine, technology and telecommunications.