Trump’s ⁣Shadow Fed ‌Role:⁤ Markets Defy Gravity Amid Liquidity Concerns

Updated July 1, 2025

Former President Donald ​Trump seems to be positioning himself as a shadow‌ federal Reserve⁣ chair, suggesting the overnight rate​ should be at 1%. The market’s reaction to this remains to‍ be seen.

With other measures seemingly⁤ ineffective,‍ “jawboning”⁣ remains an option to influence rates. ​however, the⁣ long end of the yield curve may not respond unless the Fed initiates quantitative easing (QE) or⁢ yield curve ‌control.

Currently, this jawboning appears ⁣to be working, as both rates and the dollar are decreasing. This is disrupting ‌the typical​ correlation between bonds and stocks. Rising stocks and rates are usually ‍seen as economic ⁢strength, while rising stocks and⁢ declining rates ​are viewed positively‍ due to lower​ rates⁤ expanding valuation ‌multiples.

The declining dollar is another ⁢factor.‍ The bond market and the dollar might be signaling a potential economic slowdown ⁤that the⁢ stock‍ market isn’t reflecting. Economic data released this week will be crucial in shaping this narrative ​and guiding ⁤future⁣ actions regarding ​market‍ liquidity.

The average ⁢overnight‍ repo rate ‍rose to 4.57% at the end of the quarter, the highest since‌ December.Reverse repo volumes ‍also ‍surged, reaching $461⁤ billion. Despite this, the stock market has remained largely unaffected.

The ⁢Standing Repo‌ Facility (SRF)⁤ saw $11 billion in activity‍ as ‌the overnight‍ rate exceeded 4.5%. This level of activity in the SRF highlights​ the⁢ tight conditions in overnight markets, with the Fed⁤ acting as a ‌liquidity provider.

Despite this liquidity ⁤tightening, the⁢ market‍ has remained calm. Though, liquidity impacts frequently enough have a delayed reaction, ‍influencing the yen carry⁤ trade ⁤and perhaps dragging ⁢below 140.

Mega-cap stocks, ‍including Meta, are now overbought,⁤ trading above their upper Bollinger Band with a ‌relative ​Strength ⁣Index (RSI) over​ 70.

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