Economy

Fed vs. inflation
Information: Trump calls Fed chief intensively at times

US President Donald Trump calls central bank chief Kevin Warsh intensively at times, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing sources. This deviates from practice and could raise questions about the central bank's independence, the newspaper writes.

It is historically not uncommon for the president and central bank chief to meet, but it often happens in more formal contexts with publicly announced meetings. Trump's relationship with Warsh is more personal, as he calls from his private phone to ask about everything from the Iran war to the impact of AI on the economy, according to the sources.

The White House comments that the president has the right to say what he thinks about the Federal Reserve, but that the president has also clearly expressed the importance of the central bank's independence.    

New ECB President
Sources: Germany considering Nagel as ECB President

The German government is considering nominating Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel as the new head of the European Central Bank, sources told Bloomberg.

According to the information, Nagel is supported by Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil, while Chancellor Friedrich Merz has not yet taken a position.

A German attempt changes the fight over who will succeed Christine Lagarde, which has so far been mainly described as a duel between Spain and the Netherlands.

Middle East crisis  Strait of Hormuz
US ships may be stopped in new agreement according to Iranian state media – oil prices rise

Oil prices rose around 4 percent on Thursday evening after Iranian state media reported that Israel, the US and other countries that have "harmed" the country will be prevented from using the Strait of Hormuz. Bloomberg reports.

Iran has said that an agreement with Oman will be presented soon and that Washington has not been a part of it, the news agency further writes.

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday evening that talks with Iran are ongoing and that "we'll see what happens".