AlQa'dah 7, 1434, Sep 13, 2013, SPA -- The White House on Friday dismissed a story published in the Japanese Nikkei business daily newspaper that former US Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers would be named the new chairman of the US Federal Reserve by next week, dpa reported. "Fed watchers: the latest rumours this morning in the Japanese press aren't true - [Obama] has not yet made a decision on the Fed Chair," White House spokeswoman Amy Brundage tweeted Friday. Citing unnamed sources, Nikkei reported Thursday that the White House was expected to announce the decision next week after the Federal Open Market Committee meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday. Summers, a Harvard University economist, and Fed vice chairwoman Janet Yellen are considered the two leading candidates to succeed Bernanke, whose tenure as Fed chairman expires in January. Obama apparently concluded that the 58-year-old Summers, an expert on economic policy with close ties to the president, is best-suited for the job, the newspaper said. However, tensions between the Obama administration and Congress are running high over Syria and other issues, and some members of Congress have expressed doubts about putting Summers in charge of the central bank. Such uncertainties could delay the official announcement, the report said. -- SPA 21:02 LOCAL TIME 18:02 GMT تغريد
