A re-elected Barack Obama should pick up the phone to JPMorgan chief executive
Jamie Dimon as the best man to lead the US Treasury through a financial
crisis, Warren Buffett, the Sage of Omaha, declared.
Obama is looking for a replacement for Tim Geithner, who wants to step
down. Buffett, the world's third-richest man, said: "If we did run into
problems in markets, I think he would actually be the best person you could
have in the job. World leaders would have confidence in him."
Installing Dimon as US Treasury chief could spark some transatlantic
tensions with incoming Bank of England Governor Mark Carney. The pair clashed
last year in a private IMF meeting in Washington when Dimon launched a tirade
against Carney over new banking regulation, forcing Goldman Sachs chief
executive Lloyd Blankfein to step in.
Carney hit back in a public speech two days later, warning against
"backsliding" on reform. Dimon has previously ruled out any interest in the
job.
