Since the beginning of 2017, America has seen the Dow Jones hit several milestones. The Dow Jones hit 20,000 for the first time earlier this year. Just two months after reaching 22,000 for the first time, it surpassed 23,000 for the first time on Wednesday, October 18th. Ironically, this major event occurred on the 30th anniversary of Black Thursday, where the stock market crashed, which was the single-most devastating plunge in Wall Street's history. Some investors are even anticipating the Dow Jones to hit 25,000 in the near future.

The question is, why does it keep mysteriously increasing?

With recent negative events, such as the Charlottesville riots and North Korea's looming threats, one would think that the stock market would take a turn for the worst. In some cases, the media makes it seem as if America is entering the apocalypse. (Side note: it is not, I promise). Since something as small and insignificant as the weather can sometimes impact the Dow Jones, it seems shocking that it keeps continually hitting new records.

The new peak in the Dow Jones tells us a few things, one being that politics and world events do not impact the Dow Jones as much as we think. Rather, it is partly based on the optimism, or lack thereof, of investors based on the American economy. With President Trump's anticipated tax-cuts and slashing regulations, Wall Street investors have grown confident towards the American economy. While President Trump is not a direct cause of the seemingly constant increase of the Dow Jones, his impending policies have investors hopeful at this time in history.

Clearly, throughout Obama's presidency, the Dow Jones increased significantly. When Obama took office in 2009, the Dow Jones was at a whopping 7,949.09, which is the lowest inaugural performance for the Dow Jones since it was created, according to Investopedia. When President Obama left office, it was all the way up to 19,732. Evidently, this was due to economic recovery after the Great Recession in 2008, with unemployment being a devastating 10 percent. However, the unemployment rate has long recovered since then in the current date.

Due to the inevitable business cycle, the stock market could make a turn for the worst at any time, although most likely in a few years. At any given time, the greed of investors could cause the market to go downhill. With the media re-hashing every twist and turn in the country, the stock market is something that can make us feel more hopeful in America's prosperity and future.