The initial leak of warsh's potential appointment caused a sharp drop in risk markets, including bitcoin, due to the conventional wisdom branding him as highly hawkish. this demonstrates a high immediate price sensitivity to fed chair appointments.
Stan druckenmiller is a legendary hedge fund billionaire known for his market acumen and for 'fading conventional wisdom.' his close, long-standing personal and professional relationships with both kevin warsh (fed chair nominee) and scott bessent (treasury secretary nominee) provide him with unparalleled insight and credibility on their policy inclinations.
While the initial market reaction was bearish due to warsh's perceived hawkishness, druckenmiller's influential counter-narrative suggests warsh is more flexible ('go both ways') than typically portrayed. furthermore, the 'ideal partnership' between warsh and bessent could lead to policy coordination and stability, which might temper sustained bearish sentiment and allow for a re-evaluation of warsh's true policy stance. the direction is neutral because druckenmiller's comments introduce significant ambiguity to the initially bearish outlook.
The immediate price drop was a short-term reaction to the news. however, the appointment of a new federal reserve chair and their working relationship with the treasury secretary will have a sustained, long-term impact on monetary policy, interest rates, and overall market sentiment, extending far beyond initial reactions.
Markets Share Share this article Copy link X icon X (Twitter) LinkedIn Facebook Email Druckenmiller on Warsh as Fed Chair: ‘No One Better Equipped’ The conventional wisdom on Trump's pick for Fed chair says he's a hawk. Druckenmiller, who made billions fading conventional wisdom, suggests that's not necessarily so. By Stephen Alpher Jan 30, 2026, 3:04 p.m. Make us preferred on Google Kevin Warsh (right) with Stan Druckenmiller (left) (Kevin Dietsche/Getty images) What to know : Hedge fund billionaire Stan Druckenmiller told the FT he’s highly supportive of Trump’s pick of Kevin Warsh to lead the Fed. Druckenmiller has a very close relationship not only with Warsh but also with Treasury Secretary Scot Bessent. The branding of Warsh as always hawkish isn’t correct, said Druckenmiller. The knee-jerk reaction to Donald Trump’s pick of Kevin Warsh to replace Jerome Powell as chairman of the Federal Reserve is that the president made the most hawkish selection among the four reported finalists for the job. In the wake of last night’s leak that Warsh was to be the choice, risk markets — crypto among them — fell sharply, with bitcoin plunging all the way back to $81,000. STORY CONTINUES BELOW Don't miss another story. Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today . See all newsletters Sign me up By signing up, you will receive emails about CoinDesk products and you agree to our terms & conditions and privacy policy . "The branding of Kevin as someone who’s always hawkish is not correct,” Stanley Druckenmiller told the FT on Friday . "I’ve seen him go both ways." Druckenmiller — who made billions working alongside George Soros at Quantum Fund and with his own family office, Duquesne Capital Management — is surely in a position to know. Warsh has been a partner at Duquesne since 2011. The relationship between them has previously been described as close to father-son, with the two speaking and/or texting more than a dozen times per day. "I could not think of a single other individual on the planet better equipped," Druckenmiller continued. Where does Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent fit in? Druckenmiller also has very close ties to Scott Bessent. It was Druckenmiller who hired Bessent at Quantum Fund more than 30 years ago, where the to-be U.S. Treasury Secretary made his own billions. "The pair [Bessent and Warsh] embody the way Druckenmiller interprets markets and economic policy," wrote the FT in a profile roughly one year ago. “I’m really excited about the partnership between [Warsh] and Bessent,” Druckenmiller said today. “Having an accord between the Treasury secretary and Fed chair is ideal.” Federal Reserve