In brief

• Ukrainian dollar bonds rallied after Democrats won the US midterm elections, with investors expecting better Kyiv-Washington relations.
• Democrats took the Senate and a House majority, flipping six Republican-held seats.
• President Trump congratulated Democrats and expressed surprise at some Republican losses.

Bond prices climb on midterm results

Ukraine's dollar bonds rose sharply after Democrats won the US midterm elections, with traders expecting better relations between Kyiv and Washington (Після перемоги демократів у США українські облігації швидко дорожчають – UNIAN). On Wednesday, November 4, Ukrainian bonds ranked among the strongest performers in emerging markets. The 4.5% coupon notes maturing in 2034 gained more than one cent on the dollar, rising above 63 cents, the highest level in a month.

Investors weigh intelligence and Starshield risks

The move followed a run of negative headlines, including recent attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure. An investment director at Aberdeen Investments said the market now expects the new Congress to prevent any interruption in intelligence sharing with Ukraine or any restriction of its access to the Starshield satellite system.

Election results and the Senate

Democrats took control of the Senate, with six seats gained from Republicans in states such as Texas, Kansas and South Carolina, where the party had not won for decades (Вибори в США: тріумф демократів – UNIAN) (Вибори в США: Трамп визнав нищівну перемогу демократів – UNIAN). Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said the party had prevailed despite difficult conditions, and that voters had expressed frustration over high prices, chaos and corruption ("Полегшення вже на підході": лідер демократів у Сенаті США заявив про перемогу – UNIAN). Democrats also secured a House majority.

Trump's response

President Donald Trump congratulated Democrats and said he hoped for cooperation, after earlier warning that he would veto Democratic legislation if Republicans lost power. He said he was somewhat surprised that several Republican candidates lost despite rallies and voter support, and that he had expected better results from his team ("Я трохи здивований": Трамп оцінив результати проміжних виборів у США – UNIAN). Commentators at Sky News warned that a politically constrained Trump could focus more on foreign policy, where his powers are broader ("Очікуйте найгіршого": Sky News пояснив, що означають результати виборів у США – UNIAN).

Billionaire donor's loss

Elon Musk, who reportedly spent about $445 million supporting Republicans, joked on X that his "space lasers" meant to influence the vote had failed to work. He also commented on the Texas governor's race, where Democrat Gina Hinojosa, a critic of data centers, won unexpectedly (Маск пожартував про поразку республіканців, у яких він вклав півмільярда доларів – UNIAN).