Odaily Planet Daily reported on Monday that US President Trump indicated he may announce his nominee to succeed Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell before the end of the year. Powell's term ends in May of next year, and the field has narrowed down to five finalists. Treasury Secretary Bensont plans to conduct a second round of interviews with the current slate of candidates next month and then submit a more streamlined list to the president for his consideration.

Bessant revealed on Monday that the five finalists include two current Fed governors initially nominated by Trump: Christopher Waller and Michelle Bowman, who also serves as Vice Chairman for Bank Supervision. Two candidates are currently widely considered the frontrunners: Kevin Hassett, director of the White House National Economic Council, and Kevin Warsh, a former Fed governor. The fifth candidate on the list is Rick Rieder, a veteran BlackRock executive who oversees the firm's large bond business. (Jinshi)