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‘TACO Trade’: What to know about the term Donald Trump doesn’t want to hear again

The term “TACO trade” took off across most media platforms on Wednesday, and if you are just now catching up and wondering what that’s all about … well, it doesn’t have a thing to do with Taco Bell.

It does have everything to do with President Donald Trump and his on-again, off-again tariff policies. And Trump is not too happy to hear it.

“But the Trump tariff dip,” Tom Essaye of the Sevens Report said. “Essentially, Trump has proven to investors that he won’t actually follow through with draconian tariffs. As such, any sell-off following a dramatic tariff threat should be bought.”

Trump was asked about the term on Wednesday, and he claimed it was the first time he had heard of it. He also, clearly, did not appreciate it.
To read the full article from Penn Live from May 29, 2025 click here.

TACO Trump goes viral, as analyst confirms the US President does ‘chicken out’

It didn’t take long for social media to jump on to US President Donald Trump’s latest, unedifying nickname.

Earlier this month, Financial Times columnist Robert Armstrong coined an acronym to describe a popular trading strategy centered around Trump’s start-and-stop tariff policies – TACO (Trump Always Chickens Out).

So does Trump always chicken out?

According to a note to subscribers on Thursday from respected Wall Street market analyst Tom Essaye, the answer is yes.

In the note, the Sevens Report Research founder pointed to Trump’s decision to exempt goods subject to the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement from additional tariffs on Mexico and Canada, significantly reducing their sting. To read the full article on The New Daily from May 29, 2025 click here.

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Why the ’TACO Trade’ still matters for your portfolio

Investing.com — Over the past 48 hours, the term ‘TACO Trade’ has been widely circulated on social media and even made it to the White House. TACO is an acronym for “Trump Always Chickens Out”, which suggests that despite his tough talk on tariffs, he will always back down in the end.

Trump was asked about the TACO trade on Wednesday, enraging the President. “… don’t ever say – what you said, that’s a nasty question,” Trump slapped back when asked about it.

The TACO trade is the new Trump trade. Here’s what to know about the meme ruling the stock market.

  • A new acronym is making its rounds on Wall Street: TACO
  • “Trump Always Chickens Out” refers to markets betting on Trump walking back tariff proposals.
  • Trump called the TACO moniker “nasty” when asked about it on Wednesday.

With TACO, investors have a new guiding principle.

“Buy the Trump tariff dip. Essentially, Trump has proven to investors that he won’t actually follow through with draconian tariffs,” Tom Essaye of the Sevens Report wrote on Wednesday. “As such, any sell-off following a dramatic tariff threat should be bought.”

Retail investors have adopted the strategy, with dip-buying at historic levels recently. But how long the TACO trade will remain effective depends on what happens after the tariff delays unwind over the summer.

Click here to view the full article in MSN.com from May 29, 2025.

Get access to the full Sevens Report issue on this topic—plus two weeks of free, no-obligation market insights built for advisors. 📩 Start your trial here: click here.

Advisors at top firms like Morgan Stanley, Merrill, Wells Fargo, and Raymond James already subscribe. Ready to see why?
👉 Start your quarterly subscription here: click here.

Tom Essaye Quoted in Bloomberg on 9/26/24

Tom Essaye quoted in this Bloomberg article discussing Electrification-Themed ETFs and their role in the AI ‘Gold Rush’. You can read the full story here:

To Tom Essaye, president and founder of Sevens Report and a former Merrill Lynch trader, the theme is reminiscent of the entrepreneurs who sold tools to fortune-seekers during the California gold rush.

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Sevens Report Issue Featured in Investing.com on 9/26/24

Investing.com — The CBOE Volatility Index, or VIX, often referred to as the “fear gauge,” is showing signs of another potential spike in market volatility, according to the latest Sevens Report.

This political shake-up shouldn’t materially alter the direction of the markets

This political shake-up shouldn’t materially alter the direction of the markets: Tom Essaye Quoted on BNN Bloomberg


Markets today: dip buyers wade back in to drive Wall Street gains

“This political shake-up shouldn’t materially alter the direction of the markets,” said Tom Essaye at The Sevens Report. “The ultimate direction of the S&P 500 will still be determined by economic growth.”

Also, click here to view the full BNN Bloomberg article published on July 22nd, 2024. However, to see the Sevens Report’s full comments on the current market environment sign up here.

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All Of Us In The Markets Are In A Proverbial Canoe

All Of Us In The Markets Are In A Proverbial Canoe: Tom Essaye Quoted in Courthouse News Service


Markets roar in 2023 as inflation ticks down and Fed eases rate hikes

Tom Essaye of the Sevens Report likened the market in 2023 to rough sailing. “I can’t help but feel as though all of us in the markets are in a proverbial canoe and the investing public is violently leaning to one side of the canoe and then the other, causing it to nearly tip each time,” he wrote in an investor’s note.

Essaye wrote that many believe the Fed will slash interest rates about six times next year, believing inflation will soon “go into some sort of freefall” and the S&P 500 may hit 5,000 points. “But I’ve been in this industry long enough to know that when everyone seems to be leaning on one side of the proverbial canoe, it pays to move to the middle,” he wrote.

Also, click here to view the full Courthouse News Service article published on December 29th, 2023. However, to see the Sevens Report’s full comments on the current market environment sign up here.

To strengthen your market knowledge take a free trial of The Sevens Report.


Join hundreds of advisors from huge brokerage firms like Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, Wells Fargo Advisors, Raymond James, and more! To start your quarterly subscription and see how The Sevens Report can help you grow your business, click here.

Why Have Stocks Dropped?

Why Have Stocks Dropped? Start a free trial of The Sevens Report.


What’s in Today’s Report:

  • Why Have Stocks Dropped (And Are the Reasons Legitimate?)
  • Weekly Market Preview:  Focus Turns to Earnings (And They Need To Be Good)
  • Weekly Economic Cheat Sheet:  Important Growth and Inflation Updates

Futures are solidly lower following a further increase in geopolitical tensions and a lack of domestic political progress over the weekend.

Attacks on Israel from Lebanon increased over the weekend, raising fears of a two-front conflict.

Domestically, political gridlock continued as nine Republicans are now running for Speaker. But it’s not clear any of them have enough support to actually become Speaker.

Today the calendar is quiet as there’s just one notable economic report, the Chicago Fed National Activity Index (E: 0.05), so focus will remain on yields.  The 10-year yield sits at 5.00% as of this writing, and the higher it goes today, the lower stocks will likely fall.  Any progress on electing a Speaker of the House will be welcomed by the markets and likely push yields lower.

On the earnings front, we get a lot of important reports later this week, including MSFT, AMZN, KO, VZ, META, and others. But they come on Tues/Wed/Thurs and today there are just two reports to watch:  CLF ($ 0.46) and LOGI ($0.60).

Why Have Stocks Dropped


Join hundreds of advisors from huge brokerage firms like Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, Wells Fargo Advisors, Raymond James, and more! To start your quarterly subscription and see how The Sevens Report can help you grow your business, click here

Tom Essaye Quoted in Barron’s on August 30th, 2023

U.S. Stock Futures Waver After Rally With More Jobs Data in Focus

“There are no Fed speakers today, so investors will be looking for more evidence that supports a continued pause in the Fed’s rate hiking cycle (or peak rates already being in) and ultimately a soft landing,” said Tom Essaye, founder of Sevens Report Research. “Anything that contradicts that narrative will be a headwind on equities and other risk assets today.”

Click here to read the full article.