President Trump Threw a Wrench in Kevin Warsh's Plans as Federal Reserve Chairman, and It Could Be the Undoing of the Current Bull Market

3 hours ago 4

Adam Levy, The Motley Fool

Sun, May 17, 2026 astatine 4:20 PM CDT 5 min read

The caller Federal Reserve chairman, Kevin Warsh, faces a pugnacious task successful accomplishing his goals astatine the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC). When President Donald Trump nominated Warsh backmost successful January, it was wide expected that the caller president would purpose to chopped involvement rates and trim the Fed's equilibrium expanse holdings. But Warsh mightiness not beryllium capable to execute everything helium envisioned astatine the commencement of the year, acknowledgment to soaring inflation driven by the Iran warfare and Trump's tariff policies.

The Consumer Price Index climbed 3.8% twelvemonth implicit twelvemonth successful April, and experts expect that fig to ascent adjacent higher this month. Nonetheless, the bull marketplace is arsenic beardown arsenic ever. Despite the ongoing struggle successful Iran, which has created tremendous uncertainty and geopolitical unrest and pushed prices for conscionable astir everything higher, the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) and Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX: ^IXIC) saw a beardown betterment aft their March declines. Both present commercialized astatine all-time highs.

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But Warsh's imaginable monetary argumentation moves astatine the Fed could beryllium the undoing of the existent bull market.

President Trump extracurricular  the White House lasting  astatine  a podium with 3  American flags down  him.

Image source: Official White House Photo by Molly Riley.

What does Kevin Warsh anticipation to execute astatine the Fed?

As Warsh assumes the duties of chairman, his superior extremity is to deleverage the Federal Reserve's equilibrium sheet. Between 2008 and 2022, the Federal Reserve accumulated astir $9 trillion worthy of Treasury bonds and mortgage-backed securities. While that fig was reduced betwixt 2022 and mid-2025, it's present creeping backmost up again, lasting astatine $6.7 trillion. Warsh wants to chopped that fig to $3 trillion.

Selling assets from the Fed's equilibrium expanse volition person a noticeable interaction connected the fiscal markets. When a large seller the size of the Fed participates successful the market, the prices of semipermanent bonds and mortgage-backed securities volition fall. When the terms of bonds goes down, the output connected those bonds, the effectual involvement rate, goes up. In different words, semipermanent involvement rates volition spell up.

Warsh whitethorn program to usage that to propulsion for a little people national funds rate. He could theoretically mitigate the interaction of reducing the Fed's equilibrium expanse by lowering the overnight rate, which would little the rates for each debt. However, getting the timing close is captious to ensuring the Fed doesn't curb occupation maturation oregon spike inflation. That requires the remainder of the FOMC to beryllium connected committee with the program to guarantee it acts arsenic needed, and that's unlikely.

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