Federal Reserve Musallam: The economy is expected to continue to grow solidly, but recent consumer and housing data pose some downside risks. Restrictive monetary policy still needs to be maintained to ensure inflation returns to its 2% target.
The U.S. economy is expected to continue expanding this year, but recent weaker-than-expected consumption and housing data, as well as reports from business contacts, have raised concerns that growth could be at risk, St. Louis Fed President Robert Mousalem said. "Prospects for continued solid economic growth are good, the labor market is healthy, and financial conditions are supportive," he said. "But recent data have been weaker than expected, and there are some signs that...
The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis is reviewing the Trump administration's executive order on financial regulators, said Mousalem, chairperson of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FOMC 2025). The US banking system is strong and the capital position is good.
The Federal Reserve may pause interest rate cuts at its upcoming meeting.
Mr. Musalem said further rate cuts were possible given the economic outlook; supported last month's decision to cut rates by 50 basis points; the Fed needed to be patient; inflationary pressures were expected to continue to moderate; and employment and inflation were in "good shape".
The 2025 FOMC voting committee and St. Louis Federal Reserve President Mousalem will speak in ten minutes on the economic outlook and monetary policy.
Federal Reserve Musallam: Personal interest rate expectations are higher than the Federal Reserve's median view.
Mr. Musalem said recent data showed the Fed was making progress in controlling inflation and hoped for more evidence that inflation was heading towards 2 per cent.
美联储Musalem表示,5月零售销售数据意味着二季度需求温和;可能需要“几个季度”才能看到支持降息的数据;劳动力市场不再过热,但仍然趋紧;如果通胀进展停滞、甚至逆转,我将支持美联储加息;认为政策限制性程度存在不确定性;当前的货币政策立场允许美联储保持耐心,评估数据。
FED MUSALEM: It may take "several quarters" to see data supporting a rate cut.