Global Markets Research US Economic Weekly 30 January 2026 President Trump has nominated former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh to be Powell's replacement as chair. We expect Warsh will be dovish in the near term as Fed chair, with political pressure to maintain easy financial conditions outweighing his long-held hawkish views. Economics - North America Warsh Case Scenario Trump nominates Kevin Warsh as next Fed Chair Warsh is not a Trump insider, which reduces the likelihood that he will push for the drastic rate ...

President Donald Trump on Friday nominated former Federal Reserve governor Kevin Warsh to serve as the next chair of the US central bank, a pick investors broadly view as experienced and credible but potentially less dovish than markets had expected. Warsh, who served on the Fed’s Board of Governors from 2006 to 2011 during the global financial crisis, is known as a critic of the central bank’s heavy reliance on forward guidance and its expanded balance sheet, as well as a defender of central bank independe ...

Gold steadied after seven days of gains, with traders digesting a record-breaking rally fueled by US dollar weakness and a flight from sovereign bonds and currencies. Bullion was near $5,160 an ounce, having risen 3.4% on Tuesday - its biggest one-day gain since April. President Donald Trump said he was not concerned about a drop in the value of the dollar that has dragged the world's premier reserve currency to its weakest level in nearly four years.That decline, combined with heightened geopolitical risks ...

Core Viewpoint - The silver market is currently attracting significant investor attention, with prices reaching historical highs, surpassing $50 per ounce and recently trading above $65, marking a notable shift in value compared to oil [1][5]. Market Dynamics - The rise in silver prices is influenced by expectations of a dovish monetary policy from the Federal Reserve, which typically lowers borrowing costs and diminishes the dollar's purchasing power, thereby increasing silver's value as a precious metal [2]. - Silver's dual nature as both an industrial metal and a form of hard money contributes to its intrinsic value, especially during periods of macroeconomic uncertainty [2][3]. - The supply side of the silver market is constrained due to years of underinvestment in mining production, regulatory challenges, and rising capital costs, which limits the industry's ability to respond to higher prices [6][7]. Investment Opportunities - The Sprott Silver Miners & Physical Silver ETF (SLVR) offers investors targeted exposure to silver mining and physical silver, aiming to track the performance of the Nasdaq Sprott Silver Miners Index [9][10]. - SLVR has shown strong performance since its launch, gaining 148% and experiencing significant trading volume, indicating robust investor interest [12]. Performance Metrics - SLVR's recent performance includes a 25% gain over the trailing month, although it faced a 9% loss in the last five sessions, highlighting the volatility often associated with silver mining equities [12][11].

Core Viewpoint - The Federal Reserve's recent forecasts indicate a more optimistic outlook for economic growth, with revisions suggesting growth increases for 2025, 2026, and 2027 by 710 basis points, while inflation expectations have been marked down by 30 basis points, reflecting a dovish stance on monetary policy [2][3][10]. Economic Outlook - The Fed's committee appears to embrace a supply-side perspective, suggesting that growth can occur without significant inflation risks, which contrasts with previous hawkish expectations [3][10]. - The unemployment rate has shown minimal change, remaining stable despite a rise from 3.5% to nearly 4% over the past three years, indicating underlying productivity changes and jobless growth [8][9]. Employment Insights - The employment landscape has weakened over the past three years, with extraordinary growth rates observed, leading to a rise in the unemployment rate, which suggests a disconnect between job creation and economic growth [8][9]. - The Fed's recognition of these dynamics in its latest forecast is seen as positive, as it indicates a shift away from a demand-driven growth perspective that could lead to restrictive monetary policies [10]. Future Monetary Policy - There is anticipation of a more dovish approach from the Fed moving forward, with expectations that the new committee will focus on supply-side economic strategies rather than being overly concerned with inflationary pressures [10][15]. - The composition of the Fed committee is expected to evolve, with potential new members likely to support a more balanced view on economic growth and inflation [12][15].

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) was up 287.38 points (0.6059%) today, Friday, November 28, 2025, as U.S. markets resumed trading for a shortened Black Friday session. This positive movement was largely driven by renewed optimism for a potential Federal Reserve interest rate cut in December and a generally positive sentiment surrounding recent economic data. Despite a technical outage at CME Group that briefly halted futures trading overnight, market participants quickly absorbed the news, with futur ...

Core Insights - The Federal Reserve's shift away from tightening monetary policy is expected to provide relief to various economic entities, particularly benefiting the housing market [1] Economic Context - The U.S. housing market experienced the slowest existing-home sales in May since 2009, attributed to high mortgage rates and record prices, although there is optimism for increased sales if mortgage rates decrease [2] - In September, the Federal Reserve cut the benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points to a range of 4.00% to 4.25%, followed by another cut to a range of 3.75% to 4.00% [3] - The Fed announced the end of its quantitative tightening program, ceasing the reduction of Treasury and agency mortgage-backed securities holdings on December 1 [4] Market Implications - Reduced borrowing costs are expected to benefit prospective buyers and refinancers, potentially increasing baseline demand in the housing market [5] - Despite the positive outlook, structural concerns such as slower job growth and high unemployment amid inflation suggest challenges remain, indicating a risk of stagflation [6] Investment Opportunities - The Direxion Daily Homebuilders & Supplies Bull 3X Shares ETF (NAIL) offers investors a leveraged exposure to the housing market, tracking 300% of the performance of the Dow Jones U.S. Select Home Construction Index [8] - The NAIL ETF provides a simpler mechanism for speculation compared to traditional options markets, operating like any other publicly traded security [9] Performance Overview - The NAIL ETF has seen a nearly 34% loss in market value since the start of the year, with a reduction in losses to 6% over the last six months [11] - The ETF is currently in a negative cycle, with prices below multiple moving averages, but there are signs that downside momentum may be fading, with a focus on the $50 psychological support line [11]

Group 1: Equity Market Performance - Equities rallied in Q3, with broadening market participation driven by improving trade policy, rate cut optimism, and better-than-expected corporate earnings [1] - The Nasdaq Composite Index and S&P 500 Index achieved their best Q3 since 2020 and their best September in 15 years, despite poor seasonal trends [1] - US growth was up 9.8%, emerging markets increased by 9.5%, and US small-caps rose by 9.2% during the quarter [1] Group 2: Federal Reserve Actions - The Federal Reserve cut the fed funds rate by 25 basis points in September, lowering the target range to 4.00–4.25%, marking the resumption of an easing cycle [2] - Chair Powell noted that the labor market is showing signs of weakness, with low hiring becoming a growing concern [2] - The updated Summary of Economic Projections indicated inflation is expected to remain above target at 3.1% for 2025, while GDP growth for the year was revised up to 1.6% [2] Group 3: Historical Performance Insights - Historical data shows that the S&P 500 tends to rally significantly in the 12 months following a pause in Fed rate cuts [3] - The S&P 500 Equal Weight index has historically outperformed its market-cap weighted counterpart when market leadership broadens [3] - The current market-cap weighted index is on its best streak since the late 1990s, but a shift may occur due to recent dovish monetary policy [3] Group 4: Economic Outlook - The economy exhibits signs of a late-cycle environment, yet early-cycle signals are emerging alongside a dovish monetary policy outlook [4] - Fundamentals appear constructive in sectors like banks and small to mid-cap equities, with expectations of narrowing earnings growth gaps between large tech firms and the broader market [4] - Despite challenges such as a softening labor market and sticky inflation risks, corporate results have exceeded expectations, and PMIs remain near or above expansionary thresholds [5]

Investment Rating - The report indicates a base case median expectation of two 25 basis point rate cuts this year, with a possibility of one rate cut being signaled [7]. Core Insights - The report outlines three primary reasons for a dovish stance from Chair Powell: three months of softer core inflation, rising continuing jobless claims, and softer housing data [6][9]. Summary by Relevant Sections Inflation Data - Core PCE inflation is projected to register an annualized rate of 1.6% over March, April, and May, indicating a slowdown from stronger readings earlier in the year [9]. - The decline in shelter inflation is expected to continue due to weak housing activity and a decrease in Case-Shiller house prices [9]. Labor Market - Continuing jobless claims have risen to 1,956,000, the highest level since 2021, while initial jobless claims remain lower, suggesting weak hiring conditions [9]. - The labor market is perceived as "resilient" with 139,000 new jobs added and an unemployment rate of 4.2% in May, but recent data adds caution to Powell's outlook [9]. Housing Market - The housing sector is contracting, with prices, permits, and starts for single-family homes all declining. The NAHB index fell to 32, the lowest since 2022, particularly weak in the South [9]. - Current mortgage rates are contributing to the contraction in the housing market, indicating that interest rates remain restrictive and may need to be reduced [9].