US Growth Envy Dazzles Davos Again Despite Trump’s Fighting Talk

WATCH NOW: State Street Chief Executive Officer Ron O’Hanley says there are discussions around the ‘Sell America’ trade, but it is “not yet showing up in the numbers.”Source: Bloomberg

Provide news feedback or report an error

Confidential tip?

Send a tip to our reporters

Site feedback:

Take our Survey

By Craig Stirling

January 20, 2026 at 12:03 PM UTC

America’s biggest-ever official effort to impress the Davos crowd was matched with words of economic optimism from attendees, notwithstanding wider alarm at its president’s expansive ambitions.

The first full day of the World Economic Forum kicked off with bold predictions of improved prosperity in the US this year from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, in the wake of the International Monetary Fund’s own higher growth outlook in the world’s largest economy. Bankers chimed in with their own cautious enthusiasm for expansion prospects there.