Why the Damage to Fed Independence May Have Already Been Done
Odd Lots19 Jul 2025

Why the Damage to Fed Independence May Have Already Been Done

There’s a long history of US presidents putting pressure on the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates, but the techniques have often been subtle or quiet in some way. Under President Trump, attacks on the Fed have risen to a whole new level. And it’s not just Trump that’s called on Chair Jerome Powell to cut rates. Other members of his administration (along with allies in Congress) have been hammering him both on policy and also topics unrelated to monetary policy, such as the cost of renovating the Federal Reserve building in Washington. Investors are taking seriously the prospect that Trump will find a way or a reason to remove Powell before the end of his term next year. And regardless of when Powell is replaced, there’s a widespread anticipation that the next Fed chair will be someone more closely resembling a Trump loyalist. So do we still have an independent Fed at this point? On this episode, we speak with University of Texas-Austin economics professor Carola Binder about why central bank independence is so cherished by economists, why mere criticism of the Fed could be inflationary, and whether Fed independence has been permanently damaged.

Read More:
Odd Lots Newsletter: Central Bank Independence Is a Spectrum
What Happened the Last Time a Fed Chief Was Bounced

Only Bloomberg.com subscribers can get the Odd Lots newsletter in their inbox — now delivered every weekday — plus unlimited access to the site and app. Subscribe at bloomberg.com/subscriptions/oddlots

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episoder(1197)

20: The Time NYSE Floor Traders Tried to Prank President Reagan

20: The Time NYSE Floor Traders Tried to Prank President Reagan

For years, the image of a stock market trader was synonymous with images of Testosterone-fueled traders wheeling and dealing on the floor of big exchanges. But change has swept stock markets in recent...

21 Mar 201626min

Episode 19: Pow! Pow! El-Erian Talks Central Bank Ammunition

Episode 19: Pow! Pow! El-Erian Talks Central Bank Ammunition

Asset purchases! Currency devaluations! Low interest rates! Negative interest rates! And... more? The world's central banks have unleashed a torrent of unconventional monetary policy since the 2008 fi...

14 Mar 201622min

Episode 18: The Obscure Report That Spawned the ETF Industry

Episode 18: The Obscure Report That Spawned the ETF Industry

In 1987, investors watched in horror as the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 22 percent in an event that became known as "Black Monday." Months later, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission p...

7 Mar 201628min

Episode 17: How One Analyst Uncovered a $7 Billion Fraud

Episode 17: How One Analyst Uncovered a $7 Billion Fraud

In late 2008, as markets tanked thanks the the global financial crisis, two massive Ponzi schemes unraveled. One was the $17.5 billion fraud engineered by Bernie Madoff. The other was the smaller but ...

29 Feb 201625min

Episode 16: Making Money When Everyone Else is Losing Theirs

Episode 16: Making Money When Everyone Else is Losing Theirs

Everybody knows by now that a handful of hedge funders made a fortune by betting against housing before the market crashed back in 2008. But, people who bought at the bottom, when everyone else was pa...

22 Feb 201622min

How a Rural Irish Farmer Became an Expert on the Euro Crisis

How a Rural Irish Farmer Became an Expert on the Euro Crisis

In theory, anyone with an internet connection can became an expert on just about anything from just about anywhere. In the latest edition of Odd Lots, we speak with Lorcan Roche Kelly, a cattle farmer...

16 Feb 201629min

Episode 14: The World’s Only Stand-Up Economist

Episode 14: The World’s Only Stand-Up Economist

On today’s episode, we’re taking the “dismal” out of the dismal science by interviewing Yoram Bauman, who bills himself as the world’s only stand-up economist. Join us for a Laffer curve-a-minute romp...

8 Feb 201624min

Episode 13: How a Professor Won Gambling on an Obscure Sport

Episode 13: How a Professor Won Gambling on an Obscure Sport

Episode 13: Everyone dreams of being able to win almost every time when gambling. Of course, whether it's blackjack, horse betting, poker or the stock market, it's really hard to consistently win. But...

1 Feb 201625min

Populært innen Business og økonomi

stopp-verden
lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
dine-penger-pengeradet
e24-podden
rss-penger-polser-og-politikk
rss-borsmorgen-okonominyhetene
pengepodden-2
utbytte
finansredaksjonen
livet-pa-veien-med-jan-erik-larssen
pengesnakk
morgenkaffen-med-finansavisen
rss-politisk-preik
liberal-halvtime
lederpodden
stormkast-med-valebrokk-stordalen
rss-sunn-okonomi
rss-markedspuls-2
tid-er-penger-en-podcast-med-peter-warren
lederskap-nhhs-podkast-om-ledelse