Trump likely to pick Feds Powell to lead central bank - source

President Donald Trump is likely to pick Federal Reserve Governor Jerome Powell to replace Janet Yellen as head of the U.S. central bank, a source familiar with the matter said on Monday.

Trump is expected to announce his choice on Thursday, a White House official said separately.

Powell, Yellen and Stanford University economist John Taylor are among those on the Republican president`s short list.

By picking Powell, a Fed governor since 2012, Trump would get a combination of a change in leadership with the continuity offered by somebody who has been a part of the Yellen-run Fed that has kept the economy and markets steady in recent years.

Powell, 64, has supported Yellen`s general direction in setting monetary policy, and in recent years has shared her concerns that weak inflation justified a continued cautious approach to raising rates.

The main challenger is Taylor, a favorite of conservative Republicans who want the central bank to rely more on rules when setting interest rates.

Critics say that a Taylor-run Fed would run the risk of tightening policy too fast and choking off the recovery from the 2007-2009 financial crisis and recession.

The Fed is expected to leave rates unchanged at the conclusion of its latest two-day policy meeting on Wednesday.

(This article has not been edited by Zeebiz editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)