Turkish Minister Odds Leader for IMF Post

It hasn't taken long for speculation to mount over who will replace disgraced IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn, and it is Turkish Finance Minister Kemal Dervis who has emerged as the odds favorite.

Next IMF Chief?

British online sports book William Hill is ever the innovator, and following the Strauss Kahn's arrest in New York over rape allegations, has installed odds on his replacement which feature some pretty big names in the world of economics.

Dervis is the starting favorite at 5/2, followed by former IMF director Montek Singh Ahluwatta of India, at 5/1, German Bundesbank President Axel Weber at 7/1 and another big name - ex-British PM Gordon Brown, at 8/1.

Another notable names on the list are French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde, at 14/1 who the New York Times has earmarked as its likely choice, and who would become the first woman to hold the post. Zimbabwean-born Bank of Israel Governor Stanley Fischer is 16/1.

Strauss-Kahn Resigns

Strauss-Kahn announced his resignation as International Monetary Fund managing director on Wednesday, several days after police arrested him at JFK Airport on suspicion of the attempted rape of a maid in a Manhattan hotel.

The Frenchman was considered one of the favorites for his country's presidential elections next year, but now his career is in tatters as he awaits the outcome of the charges.