FED member Raphael Bostic recently made enlightening statements about the US economy.
While Bostic expressed his surprise at the latest data, he also stated that significant progress has been made on inflation. Despite the latest inflation data, Bostic said the FED should be patient about policy decisions.
Bostic stated that there is still more work to be done to reduce inflation pressures. However, he argued that people generally feel good about the state of the economy. The Fed member remains optimistic about inflation returning to 2%.
Looking ahead, Bostic expects interest rates to start lowering in the summer. He also stated that he is open to adjusting the timing of interest rate cuts if the data requires. Bostic predicts two interest rate cuts in 2024, but may support three rate cuts this year if data remains positive.
Bostic believes the economy still has tremendous momentum. He stated that the decision to start cutting interest rates would be an 'art' and that he was seeking progress in key measures of inflation.
Despite the market's urgency to lower rates, Bostic does not share the same sense of urgency. He said he sees no harm in waiting longer for the discount if the economy performs well.
*This is not investment advice.