The Federal Reserve’s newest Financial Stability Report paints a more anxious picture of the U.S. economy, highlighting rising global trade tensions, growing policy uncertainty, and worries over the nation’s debt levels as key threats to financial stability.
This marks the Fed’s first major risk assessment since Donald Trump’s return to the presidency, and the tone has clearly shifted.
According to the survey, 73% of market participants now rank global trade disputes as their top concern — more than double the number from last November’s report.
Policy unpredictability also emerged as a major fear, with half of respondents worried about shifting economic strategies under the new administration, signaling a sharp rise in anxiety compared to last year.
Concerns aren’t limited to trade and governance. The Fed noted a spike in worries about U.S. Treasury market volatility, with 27% of participants citing it as a serious issue, up from 17% previously.
Analysts point to tightening liquidity and evolving investor behavior as reasons behind the growing unease in a market typically seen as a global safe haven.
Another red flag raised by the report is the risk of foreign investors pulling back from U.S. assets.
A large-scale retreat could hit the value of the dollar, push up interest rates, and send shockwaves through global financial markets — adding yet another layer of uncertainty to an already fragile environment.
Morgan Stanley has issued a cautionary outlook on the U.S. dollar, predicting a major decline over the coming year as Federal Reserve rate cuts take hold.
Legendary investor Ray Dalio has issued a stark warning about the trajectory of U.S. government finances, suggesting the country is drifting toward a series of severe economic shocks unless its debt spiral is urgently addressed.
Steve Eisman, the famed investor known for forecasting the 2008 housing collapse, is sounding the alarm—not on overvalued tech stocks or interest rates, but on the escalating risk of global trade disputes.
Tensions are escalating in Washington as Elon Musk publicly condemned a sweeping federal spending bill backed by Donald Trump, accusing lawmakers of driving the U.S. toward bankruptcy.