5 things financial watchers should watch Tuesday night that aren’t Trump vs. Harris

On By Littum

Coin flip odds ahead of today’s presidential election could mean the next commander-in-chief won’t be known for many hours (if not days) after the polls close tonight.

But that doesn’t mean we won’t have results tonight that financial observers will be watching closely.

A number of contests could be decided early that could set the course for economic policy in 2025, affecting everything from the leadership of key congressional committees to the influence that certain industries like cryptocurrencies will have in Washington, DC

Here are five threads to watch as we wait for the full results of the great contest between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump to be tallied:

Read more: What the 2024 Campaign Means for Your Wallet: The Yahoo Finance Guide to the Presidential Election

Early at night, as soon as the first polling stations begin to close at 6:00 PM ET, electoral votes are quickly ready to become publicly available.

These are counts of actual voters as they vote with absentee and early voters drawn by either telephone polls or in-person voting at early voting locations.

The results are likely to provide new insights into Americans’ opinions on a wide range of issues, including the economy.

LITTLE CHUTE, WISCONSIN - NOVEMBER 01: A sign shows residents where to vote for in-person absentee voting on November 1, 2024 in Little Chute, Wisconsin. Election day is Tuesday, November 5. (Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images)
A sign directs Wisconsin residents to in-person absentee voting on November 1, 2024. (Scott Olson/Getty Images) · Scott Olson via Getty Images

Four years ago, exit pollsters asked about things like the state of the nation’s economy, the economic situation of voters, and whether citizens believe that life for the next generation of Americans will be better or worse.

How voters answer this time — and how different it is from 2020 — could begin to tell whether America’s poor economic sentiment begins to abate or will remain a dominant feature for years to come.

There could also be some clues tonight about the crypto community’s enduring power in the nation’s capital.

Trump has made sweeping promises to that community during his run, and one reported $160 million in expenses of cryptocurrency firms have sent millions that could be decisive in lower races around the country.

This is a bold series of bets that, if successful, could pave the way for a new (and bipartisan) class of crypto-friendly lawmakers throughout the House and Senate.

It’s a dynamic that has already caused concern in some corners. “We’ve never seen spending like this,” said Democratic Rep. Summer Lee in a recent webinar on industry influencecalls crypto the latest entrant in an “unbridled arms race.”