logo
Trump taps top economic aide for vacant Fed seat

Trump taps top economic aide for vacant Fed seat

Business Times13 hours ago
[WASHINGTON] US President Donald Trump on Thursday named the leader of his White House economic panel to fill a recently vacated seat on the Federal Reserve board, as he seeks to boost his sway over the independent central bank.
'It is my Great Honor to announce that I have chosen Dr Stephen Miran, current Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors, to serve in the just vacated seat on the Federal Reserve Board until Jan 31, 2026,' he announced on his website, Truth Social.
'In the meantime, we will continue to search for a permanent replacement,' Trump added.
Miran will finish out the term of Adriana Kugler, an appointee of former president Joe Biden who announced her resignation last week.
The personnel shift comes as the Fed faces intensifying pressure under Trump, who has repeatedly criticised the central bank's chief Jerome Powell for not lowering interest rates sooner.
Miran, who obtained a PhD in economics from Harvard, has advocated in favour of tariffs and moving away from a strong US dollar, which he argues makes US exports less competitive and harms American manufacturing.
Miran's 41-page essay titled 'A User's Guide to Restructuring the Global Trading System' has been seen as providing rationale for Trump's aggressive trade policies.
Trump said Miran would do an 'outstanding' job in his new post.
'Has been with me from the beginning of my Second Term, and his expertise in the World of Economics is unparalleled,' Trump wrote. 'Congratulations Stephen!' AFP
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Xi tells Putin China welcomes fresh US-Russia contacts as Trump seeks end to Ukraine war
Xi tells Putin China welcomes fresh US-Russia contacts as Trump seeks end to Ukraine war

Straits Times

time10 minutes ago

  • Straits Times

Xi tells Putin China welcomes fresh US-Russia contacts as Trump seeks end to Ukraine war

Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE PHOTO: Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping attend a military parade on Victory Day, marking the 80th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two, in Red Square in central Moscow, Russia, May 9, 2025. Sergei Bobylyov/Host agency RIA Novosti/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo BEIJING - China is pleased to see Russia and the United States maintaining contact and improving ties to advance a political resolution of the Ukraine crisis, President Xi Jinping said in a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday. Beijing will maintain its stance on the need for peace talks and a diplomatic solution to the conflict, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV quoted Xi as telling Putin. The call was held at Putin's request, CCTV said. The call came after the Kremlin said on Thursday that Putin would meet U.S. President Donald Trump in the coming days in the search for an end to the war, now in its fourth year. Trump took a more conciliatory approach towards Russia after returning to the White House in January but has voiced growing frustration with Putin over the lack of progress towards peace and has threatened to impose heavy tariffs on countries including China that buy Russian oil. Trump on Wednesday said he could announce further tariffs on China similar to the 25% duties he has already imposed on India over its purchases of Russian oil. A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, in response to those remarks by Trump, said on Friday that China's trade and energy cooperation with Russia was "just and legitimate". "We will continue to take reasonable measures to ensure energy security based on our own national interests," spokesperson Guo Jiakun said in a statement released by the Chinese Foreign Ministry. Friday's call between Xi and Putin was their second in less than two months. The two countries have further bolstered their economic, trade and security cooperation since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, which triggered a sharp deterioration in Moscow's relations with the West. Putin is expected to visit China in September for events marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two. REUTERS

US dollar softness to relieve pressure on Asia's foreign exchange defenders
US dollar softness to relieve pressure on Asia's foreign exchange defenders

Business Times

time10 minutes ago

  • Business Times

US dollar softness to relieve pressure on Asia's foreign exchange defenders

[MELBOURNE] The worst may be over for Asia's central banks that have ramped up efforts defending local currencies after a resurgent US dollar and fresh US tariffs fuelled pressure across the region. A gauge of Asian currencies is heading for its best week since June as soft US jobs sparked renewed bets on Federal Reserve interest-rate cuts. The US dollar-negative story is now 'back in play' amid signs of a slowing economy, according to UBS Group. The shift offers a welcome reprieve for policymakers who were compelled to return to their interventionist playbook after US President Donald Trump announced new import duties, sparking sharp declines in regional currencies. With Bloomberg's US dollar gauge poised for a weekly drop, investors may still be underpricing the impact of soft economic data and a more dovish Fed outlook. Intervention was likely 'more of a one-off,' said Alex Loo, a macro strategist at Toronto-Dominion Bank in Singapore. 'Weaker US activity data in the coming weeks may embolden US dollar bears to re-engage and should ease the pressure off Asian central banks to defend the recent bounce in US dollar-Asia pairs.' Traders remain on edge, however, after Trump doubled tariffs on India to 50 per cent through a so-called secondary duty, citing its purchases of Russian oil. Rising crude prices and renewed supply chain disruptions may stoke cost pressures across the region and convince some central banks to delay rate cuts or step back into currency markets to stabilise exchange rates. 'Right now everybody is just anxious about when the next shoe is going to drop,' with intervention likely just to stabilise markets, said Mingze Wu, a currency trader at StoneX in Singapore. 'Once Trump settles down, central banks will be more relaxed as well.' BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index edged higher on Friday (Aug 8) after five sessions of declines, remaining around 0.5 per cent lower this week. That has eased pressure from a greenback surge towards the end of last month, which pushed Asian currencies to multi-month lows and complicated efforts by regional central banks to maintain stability. As investors moved into safer US assets, the prospect of capital outflows worried policymakers from India to Indonesia, raising the risk of inflation and market volatility. Bank Indonesia intervened to stabilise the rupiah, while Hong Kong's de-facto central bank resumed buying local US dollars to defend its currency peg. India's central bank held rates steady on Wednesday, days after state banks were seen supporting the rupee. The Philippine central bank also pledged stronger intervention during bouts of peso weakness to control inflation. With money markets now pricing in a likely US rate cut next month and Trump tapping monetary policy 'dove' Stephen Miran for a Fed governor seat, the US dollar may ease and offer regional currencies some breathing room. 'We don't think these disparate decisions or messages from the Reserve Bank of India, BI and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas signal a region-wide shift to currency defence,' said Homin Lee, a senior macro strategist at Lombard Odier in Singapore. 'A major surge in the US dollar could prompt more frequent interventions, but that is not our base-case scenario.' BLOOMBERG

Non-invasive depression treatment TMS helped engineer get his life back
Non-invasive depression treatment TMS helped engineer get his life back

Straits Times

timean hour ago

  • Straits Times

Non-invasive depression treatment TMS helped engineer get his life back

Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox SINGAPORE – Mr Ng Chee Hiong shunned contact with others for years, staying at home for days on end, self-isolating – at least on one occasion – for as long as two months and only coming out after running out of food. And when he made it to the outside world, he would walk staring straight down at the pavement, a hat worn low, his mop of long hair shielding him from seeing those around him. Depression and anxiety has haunted Mr Ng, 52, for over a quarter of a century. He said that he had a difficult childhood beset by family problems. Things went bad after he experienced study-related stress. Mr Ng said: '1998 was (when I had) my first appointment with a psychiatrist... I was studying in the university and the stress was tremendous. My personal life was also not good.' He was diagnosed with depression and anxiety that year, and started treatment. Over the years, he had multiple trials of antidepressants and therapy, but he did not respond well to them. In 2005, the engineer relapsed and had to stop work for a year. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore PM Wong calls on S'poreans to band together for nation to remain exceptional in National Day message Singapore NDP 2025: No ticket, no problem – here are some spots to soak up National Day vibes Business Who loses the most from Trump's tariffs? Who wins? Business Singapore's digital banks trim deposit rates, mirroring moves by incumbent players Life S'pore's nightlife isn't dead yet: A nightlife reporter's 6 favourite places to drink World Intel CEO Tan Lip-Bu says has board support as Trump calls for resignation Singapore Ex-lawyer convicted over charges for cheating company director of more than $8 million Singapore Chief Justice names law graduate who wanted anonymity after being denied Bar admission That happened again in 2011. In 2017, following a severe relapse, Mr Ng resigned from his job at an engineering firm and withdrew from social life. But thanks to a different treatment made available, things are now looking up for Mr Ng: In June, he started working in the laundry room of a nursing home – his first job in over eight years. 'It's a part-time job to help me transit into the working world…. Right now, I am taking one step at a time,' he said. Mr Ng is among a small but growing group of Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH) patients with treatment-resistant depression who are receiving Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) , a non-invasive treatment. TMS delivers magnetic pulses via a coil to stimulate nerve cells in underactive parts of the brain . Dr Tay Yi Hang adjusts the placement of the Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation machine during the brain stimulation therapy session. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO It is used to treat conditions including major depressive disorder (MDD), also known as depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in adults. Mr Ng is sharing his story to give hope and create awareness of the therapy that he said helped him to get his life back. TMS became more accessible in Singapore after the authorities announced in October 2024 that MediShield Life would cover it, along with more outpatient treatments, to support the shift in healthcare delivery from hospitals to outpatient and home settings. When Mr Ng underwent his first course of TMS treatment, he experienced a drop in negative thoughts straight away. That is how he knew it was working, he said. 'I am able to think about other things… that keeps me going every day,' he added. Mr Ng's TMS sessions take place at KTPH's outpatient psychological medicine clinic at Admiralty Medical Centre, which is located at Kampung Admiralty in Woodlands Drive. His doctor, Dr Tay Yi Hang, one of six psychiatrists there, was the one who started the TMS service at KTPH in May 2022. Since then, an average of about 10 patients with treatment-resistant MDD each year have received the treatment, but this mark has already been crossed in 2025. Research shows that more than 35 per cent of patients with MDD have treatment-resistant depression. This is a term that is often used for patients who have failed to respond to two different antidepressants, despite adequacy of the treatment trial and adherence to treatment. The chance of responding to the third antidepressant is usually less than 17 per cent but with TMS, there is a response rate of 60 per cent, said Dr Tay. 'Based on what we have seen so far at KTPH, approximately 60 per cent of patients who have undergone TMS treatment have achieved at least a 50 per cent reduction in depression rating scales,' said Dr Tay. Furthermore, about 50 per cent of their patients experienced a significant improvement, becoming virtually asymptomatic. Dr Tay said they also use TMS for patients with OCD, though that is less popular as it involves the provocation of the patient's symptoms to activate specific brain circuits before the session. Each session of TMS usually lasts around 3 minutes or 18.5 minutes, depending on the protocol prescribed. There is no pain, but the frequency of sessions and cost might deter some patients. The recommended number of TMS sessions is about 30, conducted daily over six weeks, or twice or thrice daily over two to three weeks. Each session costs $125. Mr Ng completed 30 TMS sessions in mid-2022. That was after his long-time private sector psychiatrist retired and advised him to find not just a new psychiatrist but also a psychologist to help him. He found both, and he achieved a good response with the TMS treatment. Encouraged by this progress, he continued his medication and therapy with a psychologist at KTPH. However, Mr Ng experienced a return of his symptoms around nine months later, and went for a second course of TMS in early 2023. To sustain these gains, he has continued with monthly maintenance TMS ever since. He pays for his sessions, as the maintenance sessions are not covered under MediShield Life, which covers up to 24 sessions for the first round of TMS treatment, and up to 15 sessions if the treatment is repeated. TMS became available in Singapore in 2015, when Promises Healthcare in the private sector brought it in. IMH started offering it soon after for patients with treatment-resistant depression. About three years ago, it started to use it for patients with OCD. In 2024, IMH started clinical trials to study a personalised form of TMS, which involves mapping a person's brain using scans to locate a precise spot to target during the stimulation. Another hospital here tha t offers TMS for treatment-resistant depression is the National University Hospital.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store