Trump's Team and Wall Street Collaborate on Mortgages, Crypto, and 24/7 Trading Reforms

President Donald Trump's administration has intensified its focus on addressing affordability concerns, with recent discussions at a White House dinner featuring Wall Street's top executives highlighting efforts to tackle rising living costs and mortgage rates. The event, attended by leaders from JPMorgan Chase, Blackstone, and Nasdaq, underscored a strategic shift by the administration to collaborate closely with financial industry titans to refine messaging around inflation and affordability. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnik, both with deep ties to Wall Street, joined the conversation, emphasizing the administration's pivot toward leveraging industry expertise to combat economic challenges.

The dialogue extended beyond mortgages to include broader market reforms and immigration policies, reflecting a multifaceted approach to stabilizing the U.S. economy. This comes amid a political landscape marked by Democratic victories in key states, which have amplified public concerns over inflation and high import tariffs - a policy lever Trump previously used to justify economic strategies according to reports. The administration's recent pledge to stabilize long-term Treasury yields, which influence lending rates, further signals an effort to curb costs for homeowners and borrowers.

Meanwhile, the financial sector's evolving landscape is being shaped by both regulatory and technological shifts. Galaxy Digital Holdings, a major player in the digital asset space, has seen its shares surge 64% over the past year despite a recent 30% pullback, mirroring Bitcoin's volatility. The firm's third-quarter earnings highlighted record trading volumes and $505 million in net income, reinforcing its role as a bridge between traditional finance and cryptocurrencies. This performance aligns with broader trends of institutional investors cautiously reentering the digital asset market, despite lingering regulatory uncertainties.

Simultaneously, Wall Street is moving toward extended trading hours, with Nasdaq and Cboe planning to launch 24-hour trading for U.S. equities by 2026. Proponents, including retail investors like Kunal Berry and Akshay Anandan, argue that around-the-clock trading will democratize access to markets, enabling individual traders to compete with institutions that already leverage overnight trading sessions. The proposals, however, face scrutiny over liquidity and transparency concerns, with Cboe emphasizing a "thoughtful and measured approach" to implementation according to sources.

The convergence of these developments - policy interventions, financial market innovation, and crypto sector resilience - has sparked renewed interest in the correlation between Bitcoin and U.S. tech stocks. As tech giants and digital asset firms navigate overlapping challenges in regulation and market volatility, their performance is increasingly intertwined, reflecting broader investor sentiment toward risk and innovation in a post-pandemic economy.