Jerome Powell cut rates by a quarter point. Big deal? Not for Americans paying 8% mortgages. Banks borrow from the Fed at 4% and lend at nearly double. Every cut fuels their spread, no relief for homebuyers. Bond market moves by banks erase any Fed benefit.
» Every time the Fed lowers rates, banks push down the bond market, which drives mortgage
rates right back up. We saw this earlier this year: bonds get hammered, rates climb. «
Main Street loses. Wall Street profits. This loop has repeated for months. Powell’s cuts can’t counteract bond manipulation. And the bigger risk looms: in past crises—2008, COVID—near-zero rates saved the system. Burn through cuts now, and the Fed has less firepower when the next shock hits.
Traders, however, see opportunity. Even tiny rate cuts flood liquidity into markets. Equities, crypto, real estate—they all get a boost. S&P, NASDAQ, Russell, Bitcoin—buy dips, ride the rally. Bonds remain toxic, but risk assets thrive. Cuts inflate prices, but housing stays out of reach.
The solution is simple: cap lending spreads. If banks borrow at 4%, mortgages shouldn’t exceed 6%. Without it, the Fed's moves only fuel asset inflation while Main Street bleeds. Until reform arrives, liquidity drives traders’ gains while banks run the bond market—and Americans pay the price. The Fed may cut, but the real game is elsewhere.
» Bonds don’t look good, but the S&P, NASDAQ, Russell, Bitcoin, even real estate—all look strong.
Lower rates push asset prices higher. So we’ll trade dips, especially in Bitcoin, and ride the trend. «
Traders, however, see opportunity. Even tiny rate cuts flood liquidity into markets. Equities, crypto, real estate—they all get a boost. S&P, NASDAQ, Russell, Bitcoin—buy dips, ride the rally. Bonds remain toxic, but risk assets thrive. Cuts inflate prices, but housing stays out of reach.
The solution is simple: cap lending spreads. If banks borrow at 4%, mortgages shouldn’t exceed 6%. Without it, the Fed's moves only fuel asset inflation while Main Street bleeds. Until reform arrives, liquidity drives traders’ gains while banks run the bond market—and Americans pay the price. The Fed may cut, but the real game is elsewhere.
Reference:
» When the Fed cuts with the S&P <2% from ATH (13x since ’90), the next 30 days is a coin flip (6 up/7 down). 3-months out has almost a perfect record: 12/13 up with the last and only loss in 1990. Recent four 3-month gains: +6.2%, +5.9%, +7.7%, +1.6%. «
Mark Minervini, September 19, 2025.
Mark Minervini, September 19, 2025.
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