A CNNMoney poll of economists confirms what experts have been saying for months — that Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke will likely quit the position when his term ends Jan. 31, 2014.
More than two-thirds of the economists surveyed hold that view. Bernanke began as Fed chairman in February 2006, and this is his third term. He is thought to be eager to resume his teaching duties at Princeton University.
"He is likely to opt to leave after his term expires in 2014," Lynn Reaser, chief economist for Point Loma Nazarene University, told CNNMoney. "He would be reappointed if he chose to stay."
Editor's Note: Economist Unapologetically Calls Out Bernanke, Obama for Mishandling Economy. See What They Did
Bernanke has endured a tumultuous tenure at the Fed, dealing with the worst financial crisis since the 1930s.
"This has been the most complex time for monetary policy in history," Russell Price, senior economist at Ameriprise Financial, told CNNMoney.
Bernanke has embarked the Fed on an aggressive easing path that has been praised by many for supporting a stagnant economy. But numerous Republicans say his policies will spark inflation.
As for who will follow Bernanke, MIT economist Simon Johnson sees three “plausible” candidates.
Janet Yellen, current Fed vice chairman, “must be considered the front-runner,” he writes in an article for Bloomberg. In addition, Tim Geithner, who will soon depart as Treasury secretary “wants the job.”
And then there is Dallas Fed President Richard Fisher, who is “more concerned about the potential resurgence of inflation,” Johnson writes.
Editor's Note: Economist Unapologetically Calls Out Bernanke, Obama for Mishandling Economy. See What They Did
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