Fed officials eye Dec rate hike

AUSTIN, Texas/NEW YORK: Chocking up employment losses last month to the temporary hit of a severe hurricane season and reiterating expectations that inflation will strengthen, Federal Reserve policymakers on Friday signaled they continue to see gradual U.S. interest-rate hikes ahead.

“Even though inflation is currently somewhat below our longer-run objective, I judge that it is still appropriate to continue to remove monetary policy accommodation gradually,” said New York Fed President William Dudley, whose regular meetings with Fed Chair Janet Yellen and constant contact with Wall Street banks bolster his influence among Fed policymakers. While other policymakers largely agreed, they also said they were keeping a close eye on the data, particularly on inflation. And one offered a strong rebuttal, saying the central bank risked a “policy mistake” if it continues raising rates despite inflation data that remains stalled.

“If we go too far in our zeal to normalize (rates) we might push inflation expectations down further and that might hinder our ability to hit our target,” said St. Louis Fed President James Bullard, who called the September jobs number “startling” even given the hurricane. “The December meeting is going to be too early to make a determination on whether inflation is coming back.”

Others were more on board with the December increase, though they also offered some skepticism about inflation.

Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic, the newest of the 12 Fed presidents, told Reuters in an interview that he continues to believe the U.S. central bank should raise interest rates again by the end of the year, though he is “not wedded” to that position and continues to track data closely.