{"id":58786,"date":"2026-02-19T11:08:32","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T15:08:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/trump-inaugurates-board-of-peace-as-feds-kashkari-backs-warsh-and-flags-ai-driven-rate-shifts\/58786\/"},"modified":"2026-02-19T11:08:32","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T15:08:32","slug":"trump-inaugurates-board-of-peace-as-feds-kashkari-backs-warsh-and-flags-ai-driven-rate-shifts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/trump-inaugurates-board-of-peace-as-feds-kashkari-backs-warsh-and-flags-ai-driven-rate-shifts\/58786\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump Inaugurates &#8220;Board of Peace&#8221; as Fed\u2019s Kashkari Backs Warsh and Flags AI-Driven Rate Shifts"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>President Trump formally launched the &quot;Board of Peace&quot; in Washington<\/strong>, an international body chaired by himself to oversee the reconstruction of Gaza, featuring founding members such as Hungary, Argentina, and Vietnam.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari endorsed Kevin Warsh for Fed Chair<\/strong>, while warning that <strong>AI-related investment is likely driving up the neutral interest rate<\/strong>, suggesting a &quot;higher-for-longer&quot; environment.<\/li>\n<li><strong>CME Group (<a href=\"\/stock\/CME\">CME<\/a>) announced the launch of 24\/7 trading for cryptocurrency futures and options<\/strong> starting May 29, 2026, to meet institutional demand for around-the-clock risk management.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Alphabet\u2019s (<a href=\"\/stock\/GOOGL\">GOOGL<\/a>) Waymo expansion in New York City faced a major setback<\/strong> after local robotaxi plans were pulled, despite broader state-level support for autonomous vehicles.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Trump Convenes First &quot;Board of Peace&quot; Meeting<\/h2>\n<p>President <strong>Donald Trump<\/strong> delivered remarks at the inaugural meeting of the <strong>Board of Peace<\/strong> today in Washington, an organization he established to manage the reconstruction and administration of the Gaza Strip. During the session, Trump praised the participation of key allies, specifically highlighting <strong>Vietnam<\/strong> as &quot;incredible&quot; and offering accolades to Hungarian Prime Minister <strong>Viktor Orban<\/strong> and Argentine President <strong>Javier Milei<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>The President noted that while many world leaders have joined the initiative, some are playing &quot;cute&quot; with their involvement, likely referring to European leaders who have opted for observer status rather than full membership. The board, which Trump intends to function as a parallel or alternative to the <strong>United Nations<\/strong>, requires a <strong>$1 billion contribution<\/strong> for permanent membership, with funds earmarked for Gaza\u2019s stabilization and infrastructure.<\/p>\n<h2>Kashkari Backs Warsh, Signals Structural Shifts at the Fed<\/h2>\n<p>Minneapolis Fed President <strong>Neel Kashkari<\/strong> made waves in financial markets today by declaring that <strong>Kevin Warsh<\/strong> is &quot;well-qualified&quot; to serve as the next <strong>Federal Reserve Chair<\/strong>. Kashkari noted that Warsh has been outspoken in offering new ideas for the central bank and expressed that he looks forward to the coming discussions regarding leadership and policy reform.<\/p>\n<p>Kashkari also provided a hawkish outlook on interest rates, stating that <strong>AI investment is probably driving up the neutral rate (r-star)<\/strong>. This suggests that the benchmark interest rate that neither stimulates nor restrains the economy is higher than previously thought, which could <em>limit the Fed&#39;s ability to cut rates in the near term<\/em>. Furthermore, he expressed skepticism about the Fed&#39;s ability to <strong>shrink its $6.6 trillion balance sheet<\/strong> without &quot;fundamental changes&quot; to its current operating framework.<\/p>\n<h2>CME to Launch 24\/7 Crypto Trading; Waymo Faces NYC Setback<\/h2>\n<p><strong>CME Group (<a href=\"\/stock\/CME\">CME<\/a>)<\/strong> is set to transform the regulated digital asset market by introducing <strong>round-the-clock trading<\/strong> for its cryptocurrency futures and options on <strong>May 29, 2026<\/strong>. The move follows record-breaking volumes in 2025 and aims to align regulated derivatives with the 24\/7 nature of underlying spot crypto markets. <em>Market participants view this as a critical step toward the further institutionalization of Bitcoin and Ethereum derivatives.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>In the autonomous vehicle sector, <strong>Alphabet (<a href=\"\/stock\/GOOGL\">GOOGL<\/a>)<\/strong> subsidiary <strong>Waymo<\/strong> suffered a blow as New York\u2019s robotaxi expansion plan was reportedly pulled. While New York Governor <strong>Kathy Hochul<\/strong> has pushed for state-wide legalization of autonomous vehicles, the exclusion of <strong>New York City<\/strong> from the current commercial rollout plans represents a significant hurdle. Waymo had been testing a small fleet in Manhattan and Brooklyn, but the <em>regulatory environment in the nation&#39;s largest city remains a complex barrier to full-scale commercialization<\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways President Trump formally launched the &quot;Board of Peace&quot; in Washington, an international body chaired by himself to oversee 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