Presidential Sneak Peek

Step inside the new George W. Bush Presidential Center at SMU

The George W. Bush Presidential Center at SMU opens to the public May 1, but those wishing to get a sneak peek of the 43rd presidential library needn't wait. The property has already been toured by the media, and the center will live-stream its April 25 dedication, which will be attended by five living presidents, including Barack Obama.

The center encompasses more than 225,000 square feet and is surrounded by a 15-acre nature park replete with prairie landscaping and a wildflower meadow.

"George did not want this to be a monument to himself," said First Lady Laura Bush.

Former First Lady Laura Bush made a surprise appearance at the media preview of the center on April 24. She briefly spoke to reporters in the Rose Garden, which was modeled after the one at the White House.

"I hope people really learn and re-learn the history of the first decade of our new century," she said. "I think people will be very moved by the 9/11 exhibit, and I think that's important because we still, obviously, live with the effects of 9/11."

The University Park facilities are located near SMU's entrance and include a library, museum, presidential archives and public policy institute. In addition to the Oval Office replica, the center boasts the actual Bush White House "Situation Room," which was reconstructed piece-by-piece for the museum. The room is set up to connect Texas schoolchildren with students in California at the Ronald Regan Presidential Library.

Although it bears his name, Laura Bush said that her husband didn't want the center to just be about him. "George did not want this to be a monument to himself," she said. "He said that from the very beginning."

Bush's official portrait for the center is at least one example of sharing the spotlight. He appears alongside former British prime minister Tony Blair in the 7-by-9-foot oil painting.

Statues of George W. Bush and his father, George H.W. Bush, welcome visitors to the museum.

Photo by Jerry McClure

Statues of George W. Bush and his father, George H.W. Bush, welcome visitors to the museum.

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New money

Texas Stock Exchange launches trading on 'Y'all Street' in Dallas

Photo by Oren Elbaz on Unsplash

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Two-step aside, New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq. The Dallas-based Texas Stock Exchange, nicknamed Y’all Street, just kicked off live trading with five stocks for now — and with lots of Lone Star ambition.

“The Texas Stock Exchange aims to revitalize competition for [stock] issuers, establish the premier venue for listings, and create a world-class trading platform for all market participants,” the exchange says in a fact sheet.

The exchange — whose Texas-influenced nickname is a nod to New York City’s Wall Street — has collected at least $275 million in investments. The roughly 90 financial backers of TXSE include Bank of America, BlackRock, Charles Schwab, Citadel Securities, Dell Family Office, Fortress, Goldman Sachs, and JPMorgan Chase.

Representatives of TXSE couldn’t be reached for comment. On its website, the exchange calls itself “the most well-capitalized equities exchange to ever be approved” by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Not to be outdone, NYSE has launched Dallas-based NYSE Texas and Nasdaq has expanded its presence in Dallas.

Y’all Street adds to Dallas-Fort Worth’s rising status as a major hub for financial services, with The Wall Street Journal naming North Texas the country’s second biggest financial hub after New York City. Among the biggest DFW players in financial services are:

Financial services provider Charles Schwab
Banking company Comerica
Auto lender Santander Consumer USA
Banking company Texas Capital Bancshares
Lender GM Financial
Investment bank Goldman Sachs
Financial services provider Fidelity
Banking conglomerate JPMorgan Chase
Megabank Wells Fargo

“A homegrown national exchange means more jobs, more investment, and more growth opportunities for businesses and communities across the Lone Star State,” Gabriela von zur Muehlen, senior vice president and chief policy officer at the Texas Association of Business, told The Texas Tribune.

In a move that will further elevate DFW’s status as a financial powerhouse, Goldman Sachs is building an 800,000-square-foot corporate campus near the American Airlines Center. The campus, with an initial price tag of $500 million, will be able to accommodate more than 5,000 employees when it opens in 2028; it’ll be Goldman Sachs’ largest office outside New York City.

Driven by DFW, the financial services sector now plays a massive role in Texas’ status as the Financial Capital of America, as declared by Gov. Greg Abbott.

Bulent Temel, an associate professor of practice in economics at the University of Texas at San Antonio, told Texas Standard that TXSE “is going to boost the credibility of the Texas economy.”

Texas’ estimated gross domestic product (GDP), a yardstick for the size of an economy, climbed to a record-setting $2.9 trillion in 2025, making it the state with the second highest GDP after California. DFW’s estimated GDP in 2023 stood at $744.6 billion, eclipsing the GDP of many countries.

“The center of gravity for American capitalism is now headquartered in the Boom Belt,” Abbott proclaimed in April, referring to an 11-state region (including Texas) in the South and Southeast that’s seeing tremendous economic and population growth. “The Texas Stock Exchange is the natural extension of that capitalism. It ensures that capital markets will reflect the quadrant that is driving American growth.”

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