Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell at a news conference in Washington, DC, on September 17. Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg/Getty Images Washington —

The Trump administration’s search for who will lead the Federal Reserve next year is well underway, and there are five people on the short list to become the most powerful figure in the US economy.

Few people wield as much influence over financial markets and the global economy as the head of the US central bank. A few words from the Fed chair can move markets and shift billions of dollars. It’s a role so consequential that President Donald Trump has even mused about taking it for himself.

Trump has made no secret of his distaste for Fed Chair Jerome Powell, whose term ends in May. Trump has, at various points, said he would fire Powell o

See Full Page