Evening digest: Bitcoin slips towards $80K, Trump's Fed pick upends markets, commodities crash

Markets are closing the day grappling with a sharp mix of policy, politics, and positioning risk.

Donald Trump’s nomination of Kevin Warsh for Fed chair is forcing investors to reassess the path for rates, liquidity, and asset prices.

That shift is rippling across gold, crypto, and the dollar, while geopolitical tensions, from the Panama Canal to US-China rivalry, add another layer of uncertainty to an already fragile global backdrop.

Trump's Fed pick

Donald Trump has nominated former Fed governor Kevin Warsh to succeed Jerome Powell as Federal Reserve chair, signaling a potential shift toward a more hawkish policy stance.

Warsh has previously criticized ultra-loose monetary policy and could push for higher rates if inflation flares again, even as growth moderates.

Markets are already gaming out the implications: a Warsh Fed might be less tolerant of elevated asset prices and more focused on shrinking the balance sheet.

The nomination sets up a contentious confirmation battle in the Senate and injects fresh uncertainty into the outlook for interest rates, equities and the dollar.

Citi: Gold supported, upside capped

Citigroup expects gold to stay underpinned in the near term as geopolitical tensions, lingering recession risks and US political uncertainty keep safe-haven demand alive.

The bank says central-bank buying and strong investment interest should help limit downside, even if US rate cuts are slower than markets once hoped.

However, Citi sees some of those supports fading later in 2026 as growth stabilizes and risk appetite improves, potentially capping further upside.

Still, the bank argues any sharp pullbacks are likely to be used as buying opportunities, keeping prices elevated by historical standards rather than collapsing into a deep bear market.

Trump targets China’s Panama canal role

Donald Trump is once again raising alarms over Chinese influence at the Panama Canal, zeroing in on Hong Kong-based conglomerate CK Hutchison, which operates key ports at both entrances.

He is casting the issue as a strategic vulnerability for the US, arguing that Beijing’s grip over critical infrastructure could threaten national security and supply chains.

Panama and the company reject that framing, stressing they are commercial operators, not political proxies.

The flare-up comes as Washington and Beijing remain locked in a broader contest over trade, technology and global chokepoints, turning the canal into yet another flashpoint in that rivalry.

Bitcoin slides on hawkish Fed fears

Bitcoin slid toward $81,000 as traders quickly linked Trump’s pick of Kevin Warsh for Fed chair to a potentially tougher rates backdrop.

A more hawkish Fed, or even just the perception of it, challenges the easy-liquidity narrative that helped fuel crypto’s latest run.

Derivatives data showed leveraged longs getting squeezed, amplifying the downside as stop-loss orders kicked in and funding rates cooled.

Some in the market argue the move is an overreaction driven by headline algos, but others warn that if yields push higher and the dollar firms on Warsh’s nomination, speculative assets like bitcoin could stay under pressure.