Insights: Financials

While President Trump last week said that he’s not considering firing Fed Chair Powell, there are lingering questions about whether he has the authority to do so, and whether he may eventually choose to re-shape the Fed Board’s makeup by firing other governors (or potentially change his mind about firing Powell). Courts have already clarified...

Student Lending

Recent/upcoming events… Republicans on the House Education Committee & Workforce (E&W) Committee have passed – on a party-line 21-14 vote – their portion of the party’s reconciliation (tax/spending) legislation. E&W had been given a minimum spending reduction goal of $330b, but preliminary estimates from the...

Energy, Financials, Healthcare, Macro, Tech / Media / Telecom

In the coming weeks, House Republicans are planning to take the first steps on their “reconciliation” (tax/spending) legislation, with different committees voting on the individual components of the bill for which they are each responsible. Speaker Johnson continues to say he wants to have the reconciliation bill enacted into law by the end of...

Financials, Macro

China Capital Flows & Restrictions

Treasury Secretary Bessent said in recent days that “everything is on the table” in response to a question about whether the administration would consider de-listing Chinese securities from U.S. exchanges. Doing so has been actively considered by policy makers since President Trump’s first term, alongside other possible restrictions on capital...

Student Lending

Following the release of President Trump’s Executive Order (EO) directing the “dismantling” of the Department of Education (DoEd), key Republicans in Congress – including Senate HELP Chair Cassidy (R-LA) – indicated they would introduce legislation to effectuate the closure of the agency. Meanwhile, with the passage this week of the House/Senate...

Crypto (Stablecoins/Market Structure)

Senate Banking Committee (SBC) Chair Scott (R-SC) said this week that he foresees stablecoin legislation coming to the floor for a vote in May, and that he’s working on a compromise version of the bill with House Financial Services Committee (HFSC) Chair Hill (R-AR) before this occurs. The SBC passed stablecoin legislation (the GENIUS Act) by a...