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Fed Names Powell Temporary Chair as Warsh Awaits Swearing-In

The unusual stopgap raises legal questions with markets pricing fewer rate cuts.

Overview

  • The Fed’s Board, which voted Friday, named Jerome Powell chair pro tempore until Kevin Warsh takes the oath, without citing a specific legal authority in its release.
  • Governors Steven Miran and Michelle Bowman opposed an open-ended arrangement, with Miran voting no and Bowman abstaining as they called for a short, time-limited designation.
  • Warsh won Senate confirmation Wednesday in a 54–45 vote, with Powell staying on the Board as a voting governor through 2028 in a rare overlap of an outgoing and incoming chair.
  • Following Friday’s hot April inflation data and $111 Brent crude, the 10-year Treasury yield closed near 4.60% as stocks retreated from record levels.
  • Warsh inherits a divided policy committee that has shown little appetite for early rate cuts, with the next decision point at the June 16–17 meeting where Powell will still have a vote.