Ideal situation for markets is less Fed, says Michael Santoli

Watch on YouTube ↗  |  January 08, 2026 at 21:18  |  2:22  |  CNBC
Speakers
Mike Santoli — Senior Markets Commentator
Doug Clinton — Managing Partner, Loup Ventures

Summary

Michael Santoli previews the jobs report, a potential new Fed chair, and a Supreme Court tariff ruling, focusing on how markets are positioned. He says the market expects new Fed leadership to bias rates lower and is pricing in policy-driven hot economic growth. He warns that the hot-economy trade, including equal-weight consumer discretionary and banks, is being forced in advance and could struggle if growth data disappoint. Treasury yields remain tame and have not obstructed stocks.

  • Michael Santoli discussed upcoming jobs, Fed leadership, and tariff catalysts.
  • He said markets expect new Fed leadership to mean lower rates.
  • He saw the tariff ruling as a possible opportunity to loosen trade restrictions.
  • He warned the market is front-running a hot-economy policy trade.
  • Equal-weight consumer discretionary and banks have been notably strong.
  • Those sectors may not trade well if economic momentum disappoints.
  • Treasury yields remain tame and have not disrupted equities.
  • The transcript ends mid-sentence.
Ideas
Mike Santoli Senior Markets Commentator 0:56
New Fed leadership favors lower rates.
New leadership at the Fed is likely to create a downside bias for rates, meaning lower yields, and the market will find it hard to abandon that expectation. Santoli thinks that view is probably fair, which supports Treasuries.
Mike Santoli Senior Markets Commentator 1:33
Cyclicals are priced for strong growth.
The market may be forcing the hot-economy policy trade in advance. Equal-weight consumer discretionary and banks have been exceptionally strong, but if the economy does not deliver good momentum, those stocks are unlikely to trade well.
Up Next

This CNBC video, published January 08, 2026, features Mike Santoli discussing TLT, RCD, KBE. 2 trade ideas extracted by AI with direction and confidence scoring.

Speakers: Mike Santoli  · Tickers: TLT, RCD, KBE