The economy and the markets are "under surveillance" as we cover the latest in finance, economics and investment.

A healthy crop of earnings helped European stocks bust out of a four-day losing streak on Thursday, Wall Street was watching Netflix and the dollar bounced after U.S. President Donald Trump quashed talk he was about to fire Fed head Jerome Powell.

Bill Pulte, the current head of the Federal Housing Finance Authority that runs mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, has lately surfaced as a possible pick alongside Kevin Warsh and Kevin

Wall Street is drifting toward the finish of its third winning week in the last four. NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street is drifting on Friday toward the finish of its third winning week in the last four, as more big U.S. companies deliver stronger profits for the spring than analysts expected.

Consumers' inflation expectations, by some measures, are also the highest in decades. Inflation has been above the Fed's 2% target for over four years, and the prospect of a dovish Fed under the stewardship of a new Trump-friendly Chair could keep it that way.

Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said policymakers should cut interest rates this month to boost a job market that looks to be weakening.

This past April, when President Donald Trump started flirting with the notion of firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell, stocks and the dollar tumbled because investors worried that even talking about such a move crossed a red line.

U.S. stock index futures were muted on Friday, taking a breather after the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq closed the previous session at record highs on upbeat earnings and economic data, while Netflix's standout profit failed to ignite enthusiasm.

Wall Street opened higher on Friday as market sentiment continued to be upbeat, a day after the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite closed at record highs. The S&P 500 (SP500) +0.3%, the Dow (DJI) +0.2%, and the Nasdaq Composite (COMP:IND) +0.