*****************************************************************************

*                       FIEND'S SUPERBEAR MARKET REPORT                     *

*                               August 26, 2025                             *

*                                                                           *

*                       e-mail: fiendbear@fiendbear.com                     *

*                    web address: http://www.fiendbear.com                  *

*****************************************************************************

Fiend Commentary

================

Firing Line at the Fed

Going into Tuesday, the story isn’t just “rate cuts someday”—it’s who controls the cutting. President Trump says he has fired Fed Governor Lisa Cook over alleged mortgage improprieties; Cook disputes it and vows to stay, setting up a legal fight over whether a president can remove a Fed governor and on what grounds. If this standoff broadens—paired with daily pressure on Chair Powell—the independence of U.S. monetary policy becomes the market risk hiding in plain sight.

Why it matters: if the White House can lean on the Board, you flirt with fiscal dominance—policy tilted toward near-term growth or political aims, with longer-run costs in inflation credibility and a higher term premium. Near term, that can look like front-end relief (cuts) but long-end stress (steeper curve, heavier multiples). The tape is celebrating easing; it’s not pricing governance risk.

Political snapback risk cuts the other way: a court battle or congressional response could re-codify Fed independence, introducing uncertainty over composition and cadence just as markets crave clarity.

Opinion, not advice: This is bigger than one personnel move. Markets can live with “higher for longer” or “earlier cuts.” They struggle with who’s driving. If policy independence wobbles, the eventual repricing won’t be about the next 25 bps—it’ll be about trust.


 

Weekly Market Summary Page
[Return to the Fiend's SuperBear Page]