Trump’s return is already stirring major investment commitments — even if most of them are ironically coming from overseas. On Monday, Japan’s largest financial institution, SoftBank, announced a $100B investment in US projects over the next four years — which they purport will create 100K jobs before 2029. CEO Masayoshi Son, a self-professed tech visionary who compared himself to Jesus Christ, hopes to capitalize on “a gold rush of intelligence” created by generational technology.

• But SoftBank’s ~$30B cash reserve raises questions about funding sources for this commitment — especially given that its previous Vision Fund struggled with high-profile flops like WeWork.
• The announcement follows Trump’s recent promise to expedite permits for companies investing $1B+ in the US, including fast-tracked environmental approvals — a move aimed at attracting foreign capital.

Made in America… or else: Foreign investment has become increasingly important to the US economy in recent years. Between 2000 and 2023, foreign direct investment into the US ballooned from ~$1T to $5.4T — with international companies making up 12% of all US research & development. While tariffs pose challenges, some businesses are expecting those pains to be offset by other aspects of Trump’s agenda. During last week’s NYSE bell-ringing ceremony, Trump promised “tremendous incentives like no other country has” and reiterated plans to slash corporate tax rates to 15% for companies manufacturing in the US.