Dodd-Frank And Other Laws Facing Indefinite Future In 2017

As 2017 begins, financial markets and the regulators that oversee them are facing significant uncertainty. When President-elect Donald Trump assumes the Oval Office on Jan. 20, all indications suggest that it will mark a shift to an entirely disparate approach to market oversight from the outgoing administration. While President Obama and his cabinet have overseen an era of unprecedented growth in regulatory scope, the incoming executive has promised an economic regime focused on reducing restrictions and promoting growth.

The transition also comes as the U.S. economy appears to be showing some of the strongest signs yet of recovery. The final employment report of 2016 showed that the national unemployment rate had dropped to 4.6% – its lowest point in nine years. The Federal Reserve also raised short-term interest rates for only the second time since June 2006, another much-anticipated signal of restored confidence in the economy. In September, Fed