U.S. President Barack Obama said Friday he has a range of strong candidates to lead the Federal Reserve (Fed) after current Chairman Ben Bernanke retires at the end of his term next year, and he said both Lawrence Summers and Janet Yellen were qualified to lead the U.S. central bank. "I think both Larry Summers and Janet Yellen are highly qualified candidates. There are a couple of other candidates who are highly qualified as well. I'll make the decision in the fall," Obama told a White House news conference. Summers, a former Treasury secretary, served as the top White House economic advisor in Obama's first term. Yellen is currently the vice chair of the Fed. The president said the nomination would be the most important one in the remainder of his second term in office, because the next Fed chief likely will serve beyond 2016.
