Fed Chair Powell behaves like an emperor, says Independent Institute's Judy Shelton

Watch on YouTube ↗  |  January 15, 2026 at 12:56  |  9:19  |  CNBC
Speakers
Judy Shelton — Independent Institute Senior Fellow

Summary

Judy Shelton, former Trump Fed Board nominee and Independent Institute senior fellow, criticizes the Federal Reserve and Chair Jay Powell over accountability, price stability, and the DOJ probe into Powell's renovation statements. She argues the Fed is too powerful and political, questions central bank independence, and raises concerns about the growth of private credit and the inflationary role of deficit spending.

  • Judy Shelton discusses Fed accountability and price-stability failures.
  • She criticizes Powell's response to the DOJ inquiry as putting himself above the law.
  • She defends President Trump's pressure on the Fed as necessary scrutiny.
  • She questions whether central bank independence is being used as a shield.
  • She raises private credit's explosive growth as a money-supply and financial-stability issue outside Fed oversight.
  • She says deficit spending is the real cause of inflation and that the Fed accommodates it.
  • No specific investment recommendations or securities are discussed.
Ideas
Judy Shelton Independent Institute Senior Fellow 2:03
Private credit growth raises oversight risk.
Private credit has been exploding, raising questions about the money supply and whether it poses a financial-stability threat outside the Fed's regulatory purview. If it is systemically risky, oversight is missing; if it can efficiently allocate loanable capital and support private-sector growth, it challenges the Fed's model. The setup warrants monitoring because the Fed appears to have blinders on this growing credit channel.
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This CNBC video, published January 15, 2026, features Judy Shelton discussing BIZD. 1 trade idea extracted by AI with direction and confidence scoring.

Speakers: Judy Shelton  · Tickers: BIZD