Reuters
Fed’s Powell opens door to tougher regulations as renomination decision looms
Even as Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell predictably dodged the latest question over his future as head of the central bank, his signal of openness to Democratic demands for tougher regulation of Wall Street under a new regulatory chief may assuage what critics see as a weak point in his leadership. At a press conference on Wednesday following the Fed’s latest meeting at which policymakers kept interest rates near zero as the U.S. economy continues to heal from the COVID-19 pandemic, Powell was unequivocal when asked how much he would defer to a new vice chair for supervision expected to be named this fall to oversee bank regulation. That viewpoint could offer President Joe Biden an opening to pursue a package deal in which Powell, a Republican, remains chair and current Fed Governor Lael Brainard, a Democrat and potential rival for the leadership who is favored by some progressives, takes over as the Fed’s regulation czar when the slot opens up at the end of October.
