I had to check these stats twice. When was the last time you looked at news stocks? Like many of you, I watched the press conference between Trump and Zelensky. But I think, unlike many of you, I watched not for a political purpose, but to follow the money in public markets. [Important note: I am against war and pray for all impacted.]

While the Nasdaq-100 briefly went red on a YTD basis, and the S&P 500 recently dropped to a near 5% correction, a certain sector has remained rather strong amid all the bearishness. Take a look:

• News Corp +5% YTD (owns The Wall Street Journal, New York Post, Dow Jones, HarperCollins, and more)
• Liberty Media +6% YTD (owns SiriusXM, Formula 1, and stakes in Live Nation, among others)
• Fox +16% YTD (owns Fox News, Fox Business, and local television stations across the U.S.)
• Warner Bros. Discovery +7% YTD (owns CNN, HBO, Warner Bros. Studios, Discovery Channel, and more)

All are outperforming the S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 this year. I guess that just makes sense as they are getting some of the greatest political television, headlines, and stories in recent memory. The media is thriving on this. News organizations are witnessing a surge in viewership, and the conversation is louder than ever.

But this is bigger than just business.

This is a global phenomenon.

I decided to check Google trends for the name Zelenskyy and check this out:

Wow!

“There is no such thing as public opinion. There is only published opinion.” – Winston Churchill

People everywhere, on every country, are watching and talking.

Some facts to put this all into perspective:

• More people than ever have smartphones.
• More people than ever have an Internet connection.
• More people than ever have chat apps.
• More people than ever can watch what just happened, on replay, playback, live, however they see it across desktop, tv, and mobile devices.

This is arguably the most scrutinized and publicly dissected event in history. Without question, it stands as the most analyzed political administration of all time simply measured by the people globally who have direct access to it and can watch it on playback over and over.

Regardless of perception or opinion, one truth remains: “If we are to guard against ignorance and remain free, it is the responsibility of every American to be informed.” – Thomas Jefferson

And currently, there is no doubt in my mind that is happening.