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U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Tuesday that President Donald Trump may choose the next Fed chair next week. He spoke on #CNBC , noting months of vetting since September and direct meetings with finalists. The decision follows Trump’s dissatisfaction with the rate policy and comes as Jerome Powell’s term ends May 15.
Fed Chair Could Be Announced as Early as Next Week
According to Bessent, the selection process has narrowed from eleven candidates to four finalists. He said Trump has already met each contender and discussed the role in detail. Notably, Bessent suggested the timing reflects completion of internal reviews rather than market pressure.
He added that the #administration has prioritized continuity in monetary operations during the change. However, he declined to name a frontrunner or confirm a final timeline. With Powell’s term ending mid-May, the window for a decision has tightened.
The potential Fed chair announcement could come amid the January #FOMC meeting, which will be held between January 27 and 28. As CoinGape reported, the Fed is likely to hold rates steady after cutting rates three times last year.
The finalists include Trump adviser Kevin Hassett, Fed Governor Christopher Waller, former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh, and BlackRock bond chief Rick Rieder. As per Polymarket odds, Kevin Warsh leads with 61 percent, followed by Rick Rieder at 20 percent. Christopher Waller holds 11 percent, while Kevin Hassett trails at 5 percent.

Source: Polymarket
The odds are market expectations rather than official guidance. However, they show growing confidence in candidates with prior Fed or institutional investment experience. Bessent emphasized that Trump personally interviewed all four candidates before narrowing the field.
Hassett, Powell, and Recent Political Friction
Hassett recently said Trump has not made a decision and suggested he would remain in the West Wing. Trump publicly told Hassett he wanted him to stay, which reduced expectations of a Fed chair move. Previously, observers viewed Hassett as a strong contender.
Meanwhile, Trump has criticized #Powell for not cutting rates faster. The Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into Powell’s Senate testimony, with grand jury subpoenas sent to the Fed. Powell said the inquiry appears politically motivated.
Bessent also criticized Powell’s plan to attend a Supreme Court hearing on Wednesday. The case concerns Trump’s attempt to remove Fed Governor Lisa Cook. Bessent said Fed independence matters, though he called Powell’s attendance a mistake.
As the decision nears, Trump faces a compressed timeline. Bessent’s comments outlined a nearly finished process with four names remaining. With Powell’s term ending soon, attention is now on the president’s next move.

The cryptocurrency market has gone through a year full of volatility, but the founder of Fundstrat Global Advisors, Tom Lee, one of the most closely watched strategists on Wall Street, remains steadfast in his strong optimistic stance. Appearing on #CNBC , Tom Lee did not hesitate to describe the recent correction as a historic liquidation event, but emphasized that this move has paved the way for a booming growth at the end of the year.

Microstrategy, a company famous for its massive Bitcoin buying strategy, has further solidified its position by adding 2,138 BTC worth $209 million to its digital asset holdings, bringing its total ownership to 446,400 BTC – equivalent to $41 billion at current prices.

1. Continuous Bitcoin Buying Chain: No Stopping

This is the 8th consecutive week of executing large-scale Bitcoin purchases. The average price the company paid for each BTC in its latest purchase is $97,837, demonstrating commitment to a long-term strategy.

Today's BTC price and market Momemtom

#Bitcoin price traded around $93,000 on Monday after Strategy disclosed it acquired 8,178 BTC for approximately $835.6 million over the past week, its largest buy since mid-summer.
According to an #SEC filing and a Michael Saylor post on X, the purchases were made at an average price of $102,171 per bitcoin. The company now holds 649,870 BTC acquired for roughly $48.37 billion at an average cost of $74,433 per coin. Strategy said its bitcoin yield has reached 27.8% year-to-date.
At the time of the announcement, Bitcoin was trading near $94,000 and Strategy’s stock ($MSTR) was trading down 2% at $195.86 in premarket trading. 
The #acquisition was funded primarily through preferred stock issuance. The company raised about $715 million earlier this month through its new euro-denominated preferred series, STRE (“Steam”), which expanded its high-yield offerings to European investors.
It also generated another $131.4 million from sales of its STRC (“Stretch”) preferred shares, according to Monday’s filing.
The move marks a return to large-scale accumulation by Strategy. Strategy’s recent bitcoin purchases had been smaller and more incremental amid a sharp drop in the company’s stock price. 
MSTR shares have fallen roughly 56% over the past four months, reducing the firm’s ability to issue common stock without diluting existing shareholders. 

At Monday’s ~$199 share price, Strategy’s enterprise value now sits only slightly above the value of its bitcoin reserves.
Bitcoin traded at $94,500 Monday morning, little changed from Friday. The latest purchase suggests Michael Saylor is doubling down on the firm’s bitcoin-as-treasury model despite the recent market decline. 
Strategy’s ‘zoom out’ fundamentals 
Bitcoin has dropped nearly 30% from its early-October highs, challenging assumptions that increased institutional participation and regulatory clarity would stabilize prices.
Strategy has increasingly turned to preferred stock as its mNAV premium compressed. Last week, the company closed a €620 million ($716.8 million) euro-denominated perpetual preferred offering, doubling its original size. The 10% Series A “Stream” preferred raised $703.9 million in net proceeds after fees.
Michael Saylor moved quickly last Friday to shut down rumors that Strategy was selling its bitcoin holdings, calling the reports “false” and reaffirming that the company is aggressively buying.
In an interview with #USStocksForecast2026 #CNBC the Executive Chairman said, “We are buying bitcoin,” adding that Strategy is “accelerating [its] purchases” and will disclose new activity on Monday. He hinted that investors may be “pleasantly surprised” by what the company has done in recent days.
Saylor dismissed concerns that outflows from company wallets signaled liquidation, emphasizing that “there is no truth to this rumor.” He urged investors to “zoom out,” arguing that the company remains fundamentally strong despite volatility. He said Strategy has built a “strong base of support” and expressed confidence in the firm’s positioning.
Saylor also stressed that Strategy’s balance sheet is “pretty stable” and only lightly leveraged, with no near-term debt pressure. He reiterated his belief that bitcoin is “always a good investment” for those with a multi-year horizon, contrasting long-term “digital capital” accumulation with short-term trading strategies.
Earlier this year, Saylor outlined a plan to build a trillion-dollar Bitcoin-backed balance sheet and eventually issue over-collateralized credit products.

a conversation with Bitcoin Magazine, Strategy co-founder Michael Saylor outlined an ambitious “endgame”: amassing a trillion-dollar bitcoin balance sheet and using it to help reinvent global credit.
Saylor said the goal is to reach $1 trillion in BTC and compound it 20–30% annually, leveraging Bitcoin’s long-term appreciation. At a scale of that magnitude, he believes Strategy — and similar future treasury firms — could use their holdings to issue bitcoin-backed credit with yields far better than those in the fiat system.
Over the weekend, Bitcoin was trading below $92,000 at times, according to Bitcoin Magazine Pro data.
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⭕ In one of the largest hacks in the history of cryptocurrencies, the Bybit platform headed for a cyber attack to steal more than $ 1.4 billion in Ethereum (ETH) and stETH, and this incident caused a wave of panic in the digital currency market.
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No⏪ After the announcement of the password, the Ethereum currency witnessed a complete 6% security loss, which affected investor confidence, and large withdrawals were confirmed by users, acknowledging their presence and recording their digital security, according to CINCO DÍAS.
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⏪ In addition, the “Crypto Crime Report 2025” report from “Chainalis” showed a 21% increase in stolen funds via digital currencies, especially from decentralized finance (DeFi) services, indicating a security decline in this sector.
⏪ We may see a greater shift towards using hot liquids and again not requiring direct deposits, which will impact the volume of play and liquidity on major platforms such as Bybit, Binance, and OKX.

#The_World_in_Bu siness
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