Anti-Trump protests erupt in US cities
(CNN, CNBC) — They chanted anti-Donald Trump slogans. They flooded city streets. They gathered near the White House, disheartened and dismayed.
“Not my president, not today,” many across the nation yelled.
In cities from Boston to Los Angeles, thousands of demonstrators gathered on Wednesday night in protest of election results that mean the billionaire real estate developer will be the next president.
As many as 5,000 people were at a protest in New York, police estimated. Among the issues being yelled about outside Trump Tower were immigration and Obamacare.
“I came out here to let go of a lot of fear that was sparked as soon as I saw the results,” protester Nick Powers said. He said he feared Trump will support stronger stop-and-frisk policies that would put many people in prison. He was worried that Trump’s victory would embolden sexist views.
Many of the protests were in cities with large Democratic bases — in Atlanta; Austin, Texas; Boston; Chicago; Denver; Philadelphia; Portland, Oregon; San Francisco, Seattle and Washington.
In Chicago, people walked down a normally busy Lakeshore Drive, carrying signs.
In Portland, marchers chanted “No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA” as they trekked through downtown. Protesters in D.C., who headed to the Trump International Hotel, shouted the same slogan. After an earlier solemn gathering at the White House a few dozen young people remained, their cries profane.
Meanwhile Asian markets were performing better this morning as traders digested the upcoming Trump presidency with Japan’s Nikkei soaring more than 6 percent, CNBC said today.
“Donald Trump’s presidential win will no doubt be at the center of investors’ minds today with many pondering whether the incumbent president’s bite will be as extreme as his bark,” Rodrigo Catril, FX strategist at National Australia Bank, said in a note today.
The Nikkei 225 jumped 6.04 percent in morning trade, as the yen weakened against the dollar, trading at 105.49 as of 9:41 am HK/SIN. The dollar/yen had plunged to 101 levels on Wednesday.
“US yields surged higher on the back of expected increased fiscal spending by Trump. This has helped the USD rally sharply against other currencies but especially the low yielding JPY and EUR,” Anthony Darvall, chief market strategist at easyMarkets, said in a note today.
“A weaker JPY has helped propel Japanese stocks up 5.5 percent, completely erasing yesterday’s losses.”
The Australian benchmark index was up 2.85 percent in morning trade, underpinned by its energy subindex, up 2.8 percent, and the materials subindex, up 5.29 percent. The gold subindex shed 4.85 percent.
New Zealand’s NZX 50 gained 1.66 percent, slipping from more than 2 percent gains earlier. Before markets opened, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand cut rates by 25 basis points to a record low of 1.75 percent. The RBNZ statement warned that “numerous uncertainties remain, particularly in respect of the international outlook, and policy may need to adjust according.”
In South Korea, the Kospi was up 1.92 percent, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was 1.95 percent higher.
The Shanghai composite gained 1.03 percent at its open, while the Shenzhen composite climbed up 1.067 percent.
In Thailand at 10.30 a.m. local time, the Stock Exchange of Thailand main index rose by 0.53% or 8.03 points to reach 1,517.46 with trading value being 18.206 billion baht.
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Top: Hundreds of protesters rally against President-elect Donald Trump outside Trump Tower in New York City. Photo: CNN
Inset: Demonstrators gather before the start of a rally against President-elect Donald Trump in Boston. Photo: CNN
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