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Kevin Warsh Faces Senate Banking Committee Tuesday in High-Stakes Fed Chair Confirmation Hearing

Former Federal Reserve Governor Kevin Warsh, President Trump's nominee to succeed Chair Jerome Powell when his term expires May 15, appears before the Senate Banking Committee Tuesday at 10 a.m. ET. Markets are watching for signals on Fed independence, the pace of balance sheet reduction, and rate policy at a moment when energy-driven inflation and geopolitical uncertainty have left the central bank's path highly uncertain.

Goldman Sachs Posts Near-Record Q1 Profit as Equities Desk Hits All-Time High; Shares Slip on FICC Miss

Goldman Sachs reported first-quarter 2026 net revenues of $17.23 billion and diluted EPS of $17.55, marking its second-best quarter on record. While the equities trading desk set an all-time revenue record at $5.33 billion, the fixed income, currencies, and commodities unit missed analyst expectations by roughly $850 million, sending shares lower by approximately 4% despite the headline beat.

Wall Street Braces for Most Consequential Earnings Week of 2026 as Big Banks and Goldman Report

Investors are heading into what analysts are calling the most pivotal earnings week of 2026, with Goldman Sachs reporting Monday, followed by JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Wells Fargo, BlackRock, Bank of America, and Morgan Stanley all releasing first-quarter results by Thursday — with markets looking for confirmation that the 'March Oil Shock' has not derailed the U.S. economic expansion and that the M&A and investment banking fee renaissance remains intact.

Wells Fargo Abandons All 2026 Fed Rate Cut Forecasts as Iran War Locks In Inflation; March CPI Due Friday

Wells Fargo Investment Institute announced Monday it no longer expects the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates at any point in 2026, abandoning its prior forecast of two cuts and citing oil-driven inflation from the Iran war and elevated geopolitical uncertainty. The announcement sets up Friday's March CPI report as a high-stakes macro event, with the Cleveland Fed's Inflation Nowcasting model projecting headline inflation surging from 2.4% to 3.16% year-over-year as the first full energy shock data is captured.

Bitcoin Briefly Touches $70,000 on Iran Ceasefire Reports as Spot ETF Inflows Hit $471 Million

Bitcoin briefly pierced $70,000 Tuesday after reports of the Pakistani-mediated Islamabad Accord ceasefire framework gaining traction, marking the first test of that level in weeks. The move coincided with U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs recording $471 million in net inflows — their strongest single-day intake since late February — with BlackRock's IBIT leading at $182 million and Fidelity's FBTC adding $147 million. BTC retreated to $68,766 as sources indicated a ceasefire deal before Trump's 8 p.m. deadline remained unlikely.

Major Banks Announce Expanded Share Buyback Programs Ahead of Q1 2026 Earnings

JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and Bank of America each disclosed expanded share repurchase authorizations ahead of Q1 2026 earnings season, signaling confidence in capital positions and near-term earnings power. The announcements come as robust trading revenues and resilient net interest income support a broadly bullish bank sector outlook.

Powell Speech Preview: Markets Brace for Wednesday's Peterson Institute Address as Rate Hike Odds Hit 55%

With rate hike odds for October climbing to 55% following Tuesday's dire consumer confidence data, all eyes are turning to Fed Chair Jerome Powell's Wednesday address at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, where markets are hoping for clarity on whether the Fed will tolerate a growth slowdown to anchor inflation expectations or signal any willingness to pause its hawkish stance.

Goldman Sachs Slashes S&P 500 Year-End Target to 5,800, Raises U.S. Recession Probability to 40%

Goldman Sachs released a sweeping bearish revision to its U.S. equity outlook on Sunday, cutting its year-end S&P 500 target from 6,500 to 5,800 and raising its 12-month recession probability to 40%, citing a historically rare confluence of stagflationary macro forces, geopolitical tail risk, and Federal Reserve policy error, sending S&P 500 futures sharply lower in Sunday evening trading.

Markets Price 50% Chance of Fed Rate Hike by October as Powell's 'Hawkish Hold' Reverberates Through Risk Assets

Bond futures markets are pricing a 50% probability that the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates by October 2026, a dramatic and rapid shift from the multiple rate cuts that were widely expected just three months ago, after Fed Chair Jerome Powell's press conference this week signaled that inflation progress has stalled and the Iran war's economic consequences will not meaningfully alter the central bank's calculus. The repricing has sent Treasury yields higher, crushed gold and growth stocks, and introduced the specter of stagflation across Wall Street's macro outlook.