On the Night of the Fed Rate Cut, the Real Game Is Trump's 'Monetary Power Grab'
Tonight marks the Federal Reserve's most anticipated interest rate decision of the year. While a 25-basis-point cut is widely expected, the key variable for risk assets is whether the Fed will restart liquidity injections, potentially through a $45 billion monthly short-term debt purchase program starting in January. This signals a stealth return to quantitative easing.
The larger tension stems from an unprecedented shift in monetary power. President Trump is rapidly reshaping the Federal Reserve, not just by replacing its chair but by redrawing the boundaries of monetary authority. The long-held principle of central bank independence is being eroded as the Treasury Department seeks to reclaim control over long-term interest rates, liquidity, and the balance sheet.
This transition to a "fiscally dominated monetary era" is the underlying logic connecting recent market events. Despite a 40 billion outflow from Bitcoin ETFs, analysis suggests this was not panic selling but the unwinding of leveraged basis trades, leaving a healthier, less leveraged market. Meanwhile, led by Michael Saylor, made its largest Bitcoin purchase in months ($963 million), and Tom Lee's BitMine significantly increased its Ethereum holdings, signaling strong institutional conviction during the downturn.
The macro shift implies higher market volatility as the old order fractures. While improved liquidity may provide a floor for Bitcoin, its longer-term trajectory awaits clarity within this new monetary framework, where Treasury, not the Fed, may ultimately dictate key financial conditions.
marsbit12/11 10:18
