Trump talk of firing Fed chairman: report

A frustrated Donald Trump has reportedly discussed sacking US Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell.

US President Donald Trump has reportedly discussed firing Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell.

Trump's frustration with the US central bank chief intensified after this week's interest rate increase and months of stock-market losses, Bloomberg said on Saturday, citing sources familiar with the matter.

The president has talked privately about firing Powell many times in the past few days, the news agency said, citing two of the people involved.

White House spokesmen have declined to comment, as has Federal Reserve spokeswoman Michelle Smith, Bloomberg says.

The Fed raised interest rates on Wednesday for the fourth time in 2018 and signalled "some further gradual" rate increases ahead.

Global financial markets, including Wall Street stocks, had been hoping for a more dovish policy outlook and sold off broadly.

The Dow had the worst week since the 2008 financial crisis, while the Nasdaq sank into bear market territory.

Any attempt to fire Powell could be seen as undermining the central bank's independence from the administration.


Share

1 min read

Published

Source: AAP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world