LIKE many men approaching old age, US Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan tells his friends he is by far his sharpest at six in the morning. How does this wise old man of what is soon set to be the longest-running boom in US history spend this time? In the bath.
For about 1.5 hours each morning, Mr Greenspan, 73, settles down with his in-tray and incoming statistical data and plots the ebb and flow of the most complex economy the world has seen, topping himself up from the hot tap every once in a while.
It is tempting to think the Greenspan bath must have been more contemplative than usual this week. Dry and reserved, he is not a figure prone to public shows of vanity but he had every right to allow himself some self-satisfied reflection.
President Bill Clinton on Tuesday took the only obvious course open to him and reappointed Mr Greenspan to a fourth term as chairman, thereby avoiding any speculation before his term expires in March.
He also successfully kept the issue safe from the potential volatility of the intensifying election race.
'His wise and steady leadership has inspired confidence, not only here in America but all around the world,' Mr Clinton said, preaching to the converted. A popular urban myth here suggests people prefer to take their holidays when Mr Greenspan does.
