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Reading News 4U: Jerome Powell sworn in as Fed chairman as inflation concerns cause markets to swoon
Monday, February 05, 2018
President Donald Trump and Jerome Hayden Powell, new FED Chairman |
According to Wikipedia, Jerome Hayden Powell is the Chair of the Federal Reserve and
has served as a member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors since 2012. He
was nominated to the position by President Donald Trump, and confirmed by the
United States Senate.
Powell was born on February 4, 1953 in Washington, D.C., the
son of Patricia (nee Hayden) and Jerome Powell, a lawyer in private practice.
His maternal grandfather, James J. Hayden, was Dean of the Columbus School of
Law at Catholic University of America.
In 1971, Powell graduated from Georgetown Preparatory
School, a Jesuit university-preparatory school. He received a Bachelor of Arts
in politics from Princeton University in 1975, where his senior thesis was
titled "South Africa: Forces for Change." In 1975–76, he spent a year
as a legislative assistant to Senator Richard Schweiker of Pennsylvania, who
ran an unsuccessful campaign for Vice President of the United States on a
ticket with Ronald Reagan during the primary election in 1976.
Powell earned a Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown
University Law Center in 1979, where he was editor-in-chief of the Georgetown
Law Journal.
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Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell takes the oath of office. |
Jerome Powell officially took the helm of the Federal Reserve Board on Monday, replacing Janet Yellen in a carefully choreographed transition.
Powell was sworn in Monday morning in a private ceremony.
In a brief video statement posted on the Fed’s website, Powell introduced himself to the country.
“Hello, this is Jay Powell,” he began.
In the statement, Powell struck the theme of transparency, promising to explain “what we are doing and why we are doing it.”
Powell noted the recent good economic performance, stressing that unemployment and inflation are low and the economy is growing.
“Through our decisions on monetary policy, we will support continued economic growth, a healthy job market and price stability,” he said. He did not directly address the recent selloff in stocks.
At one point on Monday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, -4.60% was down more than 1,500 points.
Analysts warned investors not to count on the Fed to come to the rescue.
Investors have started to think the Fed might slow the pace of rate hikes this years. Investors now see the Fed hiking rates by a quarter point in March and September. Before the selloff, investors had priced in three moves in March, June and December and were starting to price in a fourth move.
Powell said the financial sector is “far stronger” than it was before the financial crisis.
“We intend to keep it that way,” he said.
“My colleagues and I will remain vigilant and we are prepared to respond to evolving risks,” he added.
In a column in the Financial Times, former Obama Treasury Secretary Larry Summers said Powell’s challenge at the Fed will be to work out how to achieve growth that is adequate and financially sustainable.
“If the Fed raises rates sufficiently to assure financial stability, there is a risk that the economy will slow too much,” Summers wrote.
President Donald Trump tapped Powell in November, deciding not to give Yellen a second four-year term.
On Friday, Yellen admitted she was disappointed about not getting reappointed.
“I would have liked to serve an additional term and I did make that clear, so I will say I was disappointed not to be reappointed,” she said on PBS NewsHour.
Powell, who turned 65 on Sunday, is a lawyer by training and would be the first Fed chair without a Ph.D. in economics in 30 years. He has a reputation for being a centrist and quiet team player.
Even though Powell was confirmed by the Senate on Jan. 23, he waited until Monday to take the reins at the central bank, giving Yellen a full four-year term as chairwoman.
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