Kevin Warsh was sworn in as Federal Reserve chair on May 22, completing the leadership handoff after Jerome Powell's chair term ended May 15. The FOMC also unanimously chose Warsh to lead its rate-setting committee, following Senate confirmations on May 12 and May 13 that set his chair term through May 21, 2030, and his Board term through Jan. 31, 2040.

Bitcoin is trading below $80,000 and hovering around the $77,000 area after failing to hold above a recent $82,000 high. XWIN Research Japan argues that Kevin Warsh's takeover as Federal Reserve Chair could shift the policy backdrop and points to the Coinbase Premium, exchange netflows, and leverage conditions as early indicators of how institutional demand and risk appetite may react.

Bitcoin fell below $76,000 after a sharp selloff, sliding from nearly $78,000 to $75,500 and marking its lowest level since April 30. Major altcoins also declined as ETH moved toward $2,050, XRP slipped under $1.35, and SOL dropped below $85. Total liquidations reached $485 million, including more than $430 million in long positions.

A TradingView-based technical view says Bitcoin remains capped by an upper trendline that has repeatedly rejected rebound attempts, keeping bullish momentum muted. The same resistance aligns with Fibonacci retracement levels, and analysts say continued failure to break higher could reopen the risk of a move below $60,000.

Mark Cuban said he sold most of his Bitcoin after concluding it did not behave like a crisis hedge during a period of weaker fiat confidence and rising geopolitical risk. He described BTC as "not the hedge I expected it to be," as Bitcoin traded around $77,663 in mid-May 2026, about 38% under its early-October 2025 peak of $126,000. Cuban also said he is shifting more capital toward Ethereum than Bitcoin.

CryptoQuant founder Ki Young Ju said in an X post that indicators tied to a Bitcoin bull run have not fully turned on yet, with the Bull Score Index still sitting in the neutral range. The index aggregates 10 on-chain metrics and turns bullish only when the reading moves above 60. Bitcoin was trading around $77,300 at the time of writing, down more than 4% over the past week.

Kevin Warsh is set to be sworn in at the White House on May 22, 2026, after the Senate confirmed him 54-45 on May 13 to replace Jerome Powell as Federal Reserve chair. The article says markets are watching for Warsh's first comments on rates and the balance sheet, viewing them as a potential catalyst for weekend crypto trading.

Bitcoin traded in a tight band near $77,000 during U.S. morning hours as markets waited for Kevin Warsh's transition to Federal Reserve chair. The University of Michigan's May consumer sentiment slipped to a record-low 44.8, while 1-year inflation expectations rose to 4.8% and the 5-year measure to 3.9%. Rate markets were pricing in more than a 70% chance of at least one hike by end-2026.