Criminal Inquiry Raises Fed Independence Concerns

Policy and politics are likely to have an outsized impact on the markets in 2026 as the administration, Congress, and the courts seek to shape the policy landscape in advance of the midterm elections. In this episode of WashingtonWise, host Mike Townsend focuses on six issues that could directly impact investors in the year ahead, including Federal Reserve independence, geopolitical events like the U.S. military operation in Venezuela, and key debates in Congress around health care policy, government funding, and cryptocurrency regulation. And he discusses the impact to investors' portfolios and the markets in general that proposed rules from regulatory agencies like the SEC, CFTC, and Labor Department could bring. With additional insights on pivotal Supreme Court cases and the implications of the upcoming midterm elections, Mike emphasizes the podcast's mission to help investors cut through political and economic noise, providing clear, fact-based analysis to better understand what truly matters for markets and your investments.

WashingtonWise is an original podcast for investors from Charles Schwab. For more on the series, visit schwab.com/WashingtonWise.

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