Donald Trump is expected to elevate Michelle Bowman, a fifth-generation community banker and current Fed governor, as the government’s most influential banking regulator.

The Fed’s top bank cop, Michael Barr, is stepping down early to avoid a legal battle with Trump. If the Federal Reserve is politicized and weakened, the winners will be large financial institutions and the losers will be all of us. Unfortunately, that’s already happening before President-elect Donald Trump is even sworn in.

Federal Reserve officials at their meeting Dec. 17-18 expected to dial back the pace of interest rate cuts this year in the face of persistently elevated inflation and the threat of widespread tariffs

Bitcoin is set to rally into March due to a $612 billion liquidity boost in the United States, that could mitigate potential disappointment related to Trump’s crypto policies.

March S&P 500 E-Mini futures (ESH25) are up +0.09%, andMarch Nasdaq 100 E-Mini futures (NQH25) are up +0.08% this morning as investors geared up for the latest reading on U.S. job openings while also awaiting remarks from a Federal Reserve official.

The Nasdaq Composite increased 243.30 points or 1.2% to close at 19,864.98, also booking back-to-back gains. The tech-heavy index is up 2.9% year to date, its best start to a year since 2009, when it rose 4.8%.

Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. Federal Reserve Board of Governors Vice Chair for Supervision Michael Barr testifies at a House Financial ...

The S&P 500 gained 0.55% to close at 5,975.38. The Nasdaq Composite advanced 1.24% to end at 19,864.98. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lagged, losing 25.57 points, or 0.06%, to close at 42,706.56.

Stocks were mostly higher Monday at the start of the first full week of 2025, as investors eyed technology innovations and a report circulated that the incoming presidential administration might scale back tariff plans.

The cryptocurrency industry has pushed President-elect Donald J. Trump to establish one, creating real political momentum behind the plan.

A hotter-than-expected US Jobs report rattled wall street on Friday, quashing hopes for further federal reserve rate cuts. The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 1.63 percent, the S&P 500 lost 1.54 percent,