The Fed under pressure + Why prices are moving  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

January 15, 2026   |   Read Online Not a fan of Fred? Unsubscribe here.   Tariff costs land; Silver's quiet rally The Fed under pressure + Why prices are moving January 15, 2026 MorningBullets is the fastest way to catch up on the market and political news that matter most to your money. Quick takes, sharp insight, and curated opportunities—served fresh every weekday morning. Sponsored Content This Chart Pattern Looks Just Like TIO in Early 2023 Traders who got in early on $TIO saw outsized gains once the volume picked up. We're seeing something similar again — and it's not on the radar yet. Get the name and price setup — 100% free. 👉 Reveal the Ticker + Setup Now By clicking the link above you agree to receive periodic updates from our sponsor. Political pressure mounts on the Federal Reserve while tariff costs finally make their way to the consumer's cart. Good Morning, Markets are facing new headwinds as political tension with the Federal Reserve spikes and businesses begin passing tariff costs to consumers. We break down why this uncertainty is fueling a rally in silver and crypto while the Nasdaq leads stocks lower. If you are hedging against inflation or holding precious metals, this is the one to read. Behind-the-scenes IRS audit changes, China's infrastructure strategy in Latin America, and rising U.S. credit card rate cap chatter each pose subtle but significant shocks to liquidity, commodities, and fintech lending models—reshaping risk, trade flows, and investor valuations. Don't forget to voice your opinion in my polls below. Here are your Morning Bullets. – Truly yours, Fred Frost 📈 Yesterday's Market Recap U.S. equities finished lower on Wednesday as major indexes extended a pullback from recent highs amid mixed bank earnings and weakness in big tech. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq both declined while small caps and commodities showed relative strength, underscoring uneven sector leadership. Treasury yields eased and safe-haven assets climbed as investors weighed data and corporate results. Major Indexes Close Lower: The S&P 500 fell roughly 0.5%, the Nasdaq dropped about 1%, and the Dow edged lower as broad market sentiment softened. → Associated Press Commodities Rally: Gold and silver hit fresh record highs as investors sought safe havens amid market volatility and macro uncertainty. → Investopedia Selective Breadth: Some Stocks Buck Trend: Bank of New York Mellon hit a 52-week high even as broader markets struggled, showing pockets of strength. → MarketWatch 📉 Daily Performance Snapshot Index/Asset Closing Value Change S&P 500 6,963.74 -0.19% Nasdaq 23,471.75 -1.00% Dow Jones 49,149.63 -0.09% Gold 4,628.40 +0.92% Crude Oil 59.37 -4.27% Bitcoin 96,963 +2.20% 10-yr Treasury Yield 4.15% -3 bps (-0.72%) 🔭 What to Watch Today Futures can smile all they want — today's real tells are in earnings, Capitol Hill risk, and whether rates behave like adults. Keep it simple: watch what moves cash flows and discount rates. Goldman Sachs earnings (pre-market): Big-bank results can reset the tone for financials and the "soft landing" narrative in one conference call. → CNBC Venezuela vote fallout (energy/geopolitics): Any shift in U.S. posture around Venezuela headlines can feed straight into crude sentiment — especially on a jittery tape. → Seeking Alpha Debt-interest math back in focus: Rising interest costs aren't a "someday" problem — they shape expectations for Treasury supply and, by extension, yields that reprice everything. → Fortune 💡 Opportunity Watch Markets are pretty good at pricing headlines and pretty bad at pricing second-order effects. Today's "opportunities" are mostly about where cash flows quietly re-route when policy, rates, and capex drift. Semicapex Reality Check (TSMC / AI supply chain): If the foundry king is saying demand is real and profits are jumping, the underpriced angle may be the "picks-and-shovels" suppliers that ride the same capex wave without the headline multiples. → Benzinga Housing Sensitivity Trade (mortgage rates → home-adjacent names): If mortgage rates meaningfully shift, the market's first move is usually homebuilders — but the follow-through often shows up in "boring" housing-adjacent categories (brokers, title, repairs, building products). → TheStreet Quiet Trade Bloc Tailwind (EU–Mercosur): A large free-trade zone isn't a one-day market mover, but it can reshape multi-year winners in ag, autos, and industrial exporters — especially if the world keeps "re-shoring" on TV while re-globalizing in contracts. → ABC News Sponsored Content Inside Crypto's "Point of No Return" From 600 interviews: the catalyst to watch, the hidden pattern top earners use, and why this cycle could outpace 2017 and 2021. Get Crypto Revolution free—plus bonus guides. 📥 Download Free + Bonuses By clicking the link above you agree to receive periodic updates from our sponsor. 🔥 The Big Bullet Political Pressure and Tariffs Shake Up Markets What happened: A new conflict is brewing between political leaders and the Federal Reserve, creating uncertainty in the financial world. Traders are betting on lower interest rates as political pressure fuels a rally in cryptocurrencies. At the same time, businesses are feeling the pinch from trade taxes. A recent report notes that companies are beginning to pass tariff costs along to their customers. This combination of events is causing prices to move quickly in different sectors. Why it matters: When companies raise prices to cover tariffs, everyday goods become more expensive. Wall Street experts are now asking how these new trade taxes fit with promises to keep life affordable. Investors seem worried about the value of the dollar and are looking for safer places to put their cash. For instance, the price of silver has more than doubled since the start of last year, beating out gold. This shows that many people are preparing for bumpy times ahead. What's next: Keep an eye on how banks and big companies react to new government rules. Major banks are already trying to fend off caps on credit card prices. If the tension continues, stocks might struggle to stay high. The Nasdaq has already led stocks lower due to global fears. Investors should watch the upcoming inflation numbers to see if the higher costs stick. Why the U.S. central bank was designed to be insulated from political pressure. Covering the historical risks of politicians controlling monetary policy – Brookings The mechanics of how tariffs function not just as a tax on foreign countries, but as a cost often absorbed by domestic businesses and consumers – TaxFoundation.org Reader Feedback Yesterday, I asked you: Who do you trust more to control interest rates and the economy? The majority of you at 26% said "The Federal Reserve (Keep politics out of money)" Ben from Ohio replied: "II trust the Federal Reserve more because money decisions work better when politics stay out of it." Here's what I'm asking you today: Who do you blame most for your higher bills? The Government (For the new taxes) The Companies (They are just being greedy) Foreign Countries (For unfair trade) Unsure / No opinion Other As always if your opinion is not here, or you want to throw your two cents at me, reply to the E-mail, and let me know your exact thoughts. 🧭 Policy & Market Ripples IRS process tweaks and "liquidity risk" quietly matter: It's not glamorous, but anything that changes audit friction, settlement behavior, or how firms document adjustments can ripple into risk budgets and Treasury plumbing. When compliance overhead rises, market-making gets a little less "free," and spreads don't tighten out of patriotism. → Finance Monthly China's push in Latin America keeps rewriting trade lanes: This isn't just geopolitics for cable TV—capital, commodities, and infrastructure contracts tend to follow the flag. If Beijing keeps buying influence via ports, energy, and financing, investors should expect longer-run tailwinds (and risks) in metals, shipping, and regional FX. → World Finance Credit-card rate cap chatter is a stealth "business model" policy risk: Even the *discussion* of rate caps can compress multiples for lenders, fintech rails, and anyone living off revolving balances—because pricing power is the product. If this theme gains oxygen, watch for rotation toward fee-based models and away from pure interest spread stories. → Stocktwits 📜 This Day in History – January 15 January 15 has an infrastructure brain: knowledge gets warehoused, signals get standardized, attention gets televised, and the internet gets a public librarian's upgrade. In other words: the plumbing that makes modern life feel "normal." 1759 – The British Museum opened to the public, helping turn "shared knowledge" into a civic institution with long-run cultural and educational spillovers. 1846 – Samuel Morse received a U.S. patent for an improved telegraph system, the kind of standardization that collapses information latency and makes markets more "real-time." 1967 – Super Bowl I was played, effectively prototyping the modern "sports-as-media-platform" business model where broadcast rights and attention are the main product. 2001 – Wikipedia launched, a radical experiment in low-cost knowledge production that scaled into a global reference layer for education, media, and (yes) due diligence. Today's Trivia What does the term standard of living generally refer to? A) The amount of money a country prints each year B) The number of hours people work per week C) The level of wealth, comfort, and material well-being available to individuals or groups D) The government's total spending on public programs Yesterday, 30% of you chose the right answer to the trivia question: It allows countries to specialize and trade, increasing overall efficiency and consumer choice What's the use of happiness? It can't buy you money – Henry Youngman Thanks for Reading. Stay Sharp. Stay Focused. Fredrick Frost Editor, MorningBullets   Update your email preferences or unsubscribe here © 2026 Morning Bullets 20 North Orange Ave. Floor 11 Orlando, Florida 32801, United States of America Terms of Service