#美联储主席人选预测 Market Insight

The “Eagle” of Wall Street and the “Friend” of the Crypto Circle: What Does Kevin Warsh’s Leadership of the Federal Reserve Mean?
Just now, the “water tap” of the global financial markets welcomed a new head. Donald Trump officially nominated Kevin Warsh to be the next Federal Reserve Chair. Once the news broke, the crypto market and US stocks instantly “changed faces,” with Bitcoin short-term decline, as if an invisible hand was choking its throat. Many newcomers to the circle might be confused: changing the Fed chair, is it such a big deal?
It’s like your neighborhood property manager has been replaced. The previous manager (Powell), though slow in action, was at least accustomed to him occasionally giving benefits (interest rate cuts expectations); the new manager (Warsh), reportedly a “stern judge,” not only dislikes giving benefits but might also tighten access control in the neighborhood.
For the crypto market relying on “liquidity” to survive, this is undoubtedly a sudden cold snap in early spring. But if we peel off the “hawkish” exterior, you will find that Kevin Warsh’s attitude towards Web3 actually hides a huge reversal. Today, we’ll dig into what this “Wall Street’s youngest governor” might bring to our wallets.
Farewell to “Excessive Money Printing”: When the Biggest Whale Stops Spending
First, we need to understand why the market fears Kevin Warsh. In the financial circle, Warsh has a prominent label—“Sound Money Advocate.” If the Federal Reserve is compared to a “water plant” responsible for injecting water into the market, previous heads (like Bernanke, Yellen) believed in “adding flour when there’s too much water, adding water when there’s too much flour,” and printed money (QE) during crises. But Warsh is different. As early as after the 2008 financial crisis, he was the youngest “opponent” within the Fed. He publicly criticized the Fed’s bond-buying actions as “kidnapping other countries’ monetary policies,” believing that prolonged low interest rates would create huge asset bubbles.
What does this mean for the crypto market? Imagine that the reason cryptocurrencies (especially Bitcoin) can rise is largely because the money in the market is “too cheap.” When bank interest rates are only 0%, money floods into risk assets to seek returns. Warsh’s rise to power means the era of “cheap money” might be ending. He doesn’t sway like Powell, who swings between rate cuts this month and hints at hikes next month in a “taijiquan” style.
Warsh’s logic is very firm: inflation is a fierce tiger that must be kept in a cage. If he perceives a risk of rising inflation, he will not hesitate to maintain high interest rates or even tighten liquidity. For old hands in the crypto circle used to “the Fed printing money and then raising rates,” this is like being suddenly cut off from milk.
In the short term, market expectations of “rate cuts and liquidity flooding” will quickly cool down, which is the core logic behind the immediate decline of risk assets once the news is out.
The Enemy’s Enemy is a Friend: The End of CBDC
If the story only ends here, it would indeed be bearish. But the world of Web3 has never been black and white. Although Warsh is “hawkish” on monetary policy, he might be the industry’s biggest “ally” when it comes to crypto architecture. This inevitably involves his attitude towards CBDC (Central Bank Digital Currency) and stablecoins.
In recent years, central banks around the world have been researching CBDC, trying to issue a digital currency fully controlled by the government. For crypto purists, CBDC is like installing a 24-hour surveillance camera in your wallet—every transaction is watched by the government. Kevin Warsh firmly opposes the Fed issuing retail CBDC. He has publicly stated that the Fed should not directly intervene in ordinary people’s bank accounts through CBDC, as it is inefficient and an invasion of privacy.
He believes that the baton of innovation should be handed over to the private sector. Key point: he opposes government-issued CBDC but supports regulated private stablecoins (like USDC, PYUSD). In his vision, the future of digital dollars should not be the Fed issuing an app for everyone to use, but private companies like Circle and PayPal issuing stablecoins, with the Fed only responsible for regulation and wholesale settlement behind the scenes. What does this mean for Web3?
It means the “Damocles sword” of regulation hanging over stablecoins for years might disappear. If Warsh takes office, the US is very likely to introduce clear legislation favorable to stablecoin development. Once stablecoins are integrated into the formal financial system, they will become a highway connecting traditional finance (TradFi) and decentralized finance (DeFi). This has long-term value for the entire crypto ecosystem, far exceeding the short-term thrill of a rate cut.
Bitcoin: From “Rat Poison” to “Alarm Bell”
Even more interesting is Warsh’s view on Bitcoin. Years ago, many traditional finance giants called Bitcoin “rat poison.” But Warsh’s perspective is very unique. Although he doesn’t believe Bitcoin can replace the dollar, he sees it as a “policy alarm.” He mentioned in an interview: “If Bitcoin’s price surges, it indicates that our fiat monetary policy has problems, and people no longer trust the dollar’s purchasing power.” This view is very “Austrian School.” He doesn’t see Bitcoin as an enemy to suppress but as a mirror. This attitude shift is crucial. In the eyes of current regulators, cryptocurrencies are often seen as “casino gambling that needs regulation.” But in Warsh’s view, cryptocurrencies might be a “market mechanism to hedge against excessive fiat issuance.” If the Fed chair considers Bitcoin’s existence reasonable and a form of supervision over the Fed’s own discipline, then the SEC’s (Securities and Exchange Commission) “regulation for regulation’s sake” crackdown might be restrained at a higher level.
Post-pain New Order
Looking ahead from the current point in time, Kevin Warsh’s nomination will bring a “schizophrenic” trend to the market.
Short-term (next 3-6 months): Be prepared for “hard times.” The market needs to reprice “liquidity expectations.” The fantasy of expecting the Fed to cut rates by 100 basis points quickly to pump the market may be shattered. As Warsh’s hawkish rhetoric ferments, US Treasury yields may stay high, draining liquidity from the crypto space. Altcoins and meme projects may face severe bloodletting.
Mid-term (next 1-2 years): With the new regulatory framework in place, we will see the “professionalization” of the US crypto market.
• Stablecoin payments will explode: With Fed’s tacit approval, stablecoins may truly enter the payment field, not just trading chips on exchanges.
• Institutional entry accelerates: Warsh represents the consensus of Wall Street elites. His appointment will make giants like BlackRock and Fidelity more confident in allocating funds to crypto assets because they know policy risks are reduced.
Advice for ordinary investors: Don’t be scared by short-term price fluctuations, and don’t blindly leverage to chase rebounds.
Warsh’s appointment is essentially an important signal that the crypto market is moving from the “wild west” era to the “compliance era.” He may shut down the “floodgates,” but he will repair the pipelines to the future. In this process, projects without real value, solely supported by liquidity bubbles, will die out; while those that truly solve problems and are built on compliant stablecoins will usher in a real golden age. The Fed’s baton has been handed over, the style of the symphony has changed, but the dance is not over.