Fed's Musalem Says Inflation Remains Above Target and Rates May Hold
St. Louis Fed President Musalem said inflation remains significantly above the Fed's target and that policymakers should be concerned about underlying price pressures as well as risks from tariffs and oil shocks. He said the focus has been shifting more toward inflation, and that there are reasonable scenarios in which interest rates could remain unchanged for a period.
Musalem said the labor market appears to have steadied after cooling last year, with recent job gains hovering near a breakeven level, while current policy is neutral or mildly supportive in real terms. At the same time, he said plausible scenarios still exist for either rate increases or rate cuts, highlighting uncertainty over the policy path.
From the sources (14 posts)
@firstsquawkST. LOUIS FED'S MUSALEM SAYS POSITIVE FACTORS LIKE FRIENDLY FINANCIAL CONDITIONS OUTWEIGH NEGATIVE ONES FOR U.S. ECONOMY.
@firstsquawkMUSALEM SAYS INFLATION IS "SIGNIFICANTLY" ABOVE THE TARGET LEVEL.
@firstsquawkMUSALEM SAID THE FED SHOULD BE CONCERNED ABOUT UNDERLYING INFLATION ALONG WITH TARIFFS AND OIL SHOCKS.
@firstsquawkMUSALEM STATED THAT THERE ARE RISKS WITH BOTH MANDATES, BUT THE FOCUS HAS BEEN MOVING MORE TOWARDS INFLATION.
@firstsquawkMUSALEM SAYS THERE ARE REASONABLE SCENARIOS THAT MAY KEEP INTEREST RATES UNCHANGED FOR A WHILE.
@firstsquawkMUSALEM STATES CURRENT POLICY IS EITHER NEUTRAL OR SLIGHTLY SUPPORTIVE IN REAL TERMS.
@firstsquawkMUSALEM BELIEVES CURRENT SCENARIOS COULD RESULT IN BOTH RATE CUTS AND RATE INCREASES.
@firstsquawkMUSALEM SAYS FOMC IS DEDICATED TO 2% INFLATION TARGET.
@firstsquawkMUSALEM BELIEVES HITTING THE 2% TARGET IS THE BEST ACTION THE FED CAN TAKE FOR GROWTH AND JOBS.
@zerohedge*MUSALEM: 2% INFLATION WOULD MEAN RATES CAN COME DOWN SOME MORE
@firstsquawkMUSALEM: CONSUMERS AND BUSINESSES REPORT CHALLENGES DUE TO INCREASING PRICES.
@financialjuiceFed’s Musalem: Labor market appears to have steadied after slow cooling last year Fed's Musalem: Recent job gains have hovered near breakeven level. Fed's Musalem: Inflation is meaningfully above target. Fed's Musalem: Plausible scenarios
@firstsquawkMUSALEM SAYS FED SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR RESULTS AND COMMUNICATE CLEARLY ABOUT ITS CHOICES.
@firstsquawkMUSALEM SAYS RISING PRICES OF ALUMINUM, HELIUM, AND OTHER RAW MATERIALS WILL CAUSE DISRUPTIONS ACROSS ALL SECTORS.