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Hello! Here’s the latest trending:
Volatility is back: Stocks and gold may no longer have an inverse relationship, but that also means that if the bears take the wheel, they will fall together.
CEO compensation: Wells Fargo (WFC) raised CEO Charlie Scharf’s compensation by 28% to $40M. Here’s how that stacks up with JPMorgan’s (JPM) Jamie Dimon and Goldman’s (GS) David Solomon.
Canadian Conflicts: There is the cost of new planes being installed, while Mark Carney is demanding sovereignty after US officials meet with separatists in Alberta.
Some of the intense drama surrounding the Federal Reserve may be coming to an end. President Trump will announce his pick for the next central bank chairman this morning, and Kevin Warsh is considered the latest favorite. As a former Fed governor from 2006 to 2011, Warsh has long advocated a smaller balance sheet and, more recently, has accompanied calls for lower taxes.
Other candidates: There is Rick Rieder, who is the global chief investment officer of fixed income at BlackRock (BLK), who is thought to be the closest to him. Christopher Waller, the current Fed governor appointed by Trump, was also on the short list and broke with current chairman Jay Powell this week to oppose allowing immediate rate cuts. Kevin Hassett, head of the White House National Economic Council, was also considered, but Trump recently indicated that he prefers to keep him in his current role.
“Jerome ‘Too Late’ Powell once again refused to lower interest rates, even though he has absolutely no reason to keep them so high,” President Trump said on Truth Social. “You are hurting our Country, and national security. We should have a much lower rate now that even this genius admits that inflation is no longer a problem or a threat. It is costing America HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS OF DOLLARS a year in completely unnecessary and unnecessary INTEREST EXPENSES. Due to the amount of money flowing into our country, a HIGHER PRICE should pay for the REST of our COUNTRY. ANY COUNTRY IN THE WORLD.”
Why now? With the seven-member Fed Board currently full, Trump can’t simply add Warsh or another nominee to the list—even though there are less than 48 hours left until Fed Governor Stephen Miran’s term officially expires. Miran replaced Adriana Kugler in September following her resignation, and this is the Federal Reserve Board opening that Trump will use to appoint a new Fed Chair. However, even after Trump’s nomination today, Miran will remain in the role until a new candidate is confirmed by the Senate, and possibly later – if Jay Powell resigns in the coming months. (2 comments)
Musical chairs: Although Powell’s term as chairman of the board ends in May, he could continue as Fed governor for two more years, a real concern for the Trump administration. In that role, Powell could become a shadow Fed chairman, especially with growing divisions among officials over policy views. Some have even cited the recent criminal investigation into the Fed’s corrections as a way to increase pressure or make Powell feel uncomfortable about continuing as governor beyond his chairmanship, but the case may have the opposite effect. The Fed will now comply with subpoenas as part of the Powell investigation
Here is the latest Alpha Quest analysis
Best Stocks as Consumer Confidence Hits Multi-Year Low
3 Sensible Market Predictions for February
Microsoft: The Market Has Lost Its Mind
My Contrarian Bet for 2026: Blue Owl Capital
The Power of Bloom: Solving the AI Data Center Power Bottleneck
What else is happening…
MSFT has led to the collapse of technology. Are software stocks in trouble?
Trump is suing the IRS and the Treasury Department for $10B.
The greenest hits since the summer are growing bets on an Iran strike.
IPO watch: SpaceX merger with xAI + OpenAI ahead of Anthropic.
Earnings: Apple (AAPL) rises after record iPhone sales.
Meet the many integrations that will work for half of the world’s population.
Sandisk (SNDK) is up another 20% after a monster 130% YTD rally.
The US is willing to discuss the way the world’s extraordinary value with partners.
Robinhood (HOOD) may oversee Trump’s new accounts for children.
What happens when a robotaxi customer says, ‘Driver, step on it?’
Today’s Markets
in Asia, Japan -0.1%. Hong Kong -2.1%. China -1%. India -0.4%.
In Europe, during the day, London +0.3%. Paris +0.5%. Frankfurt +0.8%.
Next at 6:30, Dow -0.6%. S&P -0.6%. Nasdaq -0.8%. They are green -0.7% today we are at 64.95 $. Gold -3.7% to $5,154.50. Bitcoin -5.8% up to $82,615.
Ten Year Treasury Yield +1 bp to 4.26%.
In the calendar
Companies reporting today include Exxon Mobil (XOM) and Verizon (VZ).
See the full earnings calendar at Seeking Alpha, as well as today’s economic calendar.
