Fed official Raphael Bostic shared his key views on inflation and the labor market, stating that the latest data show that the ongoing decline in inflation is progressing as expected.
Speaking about the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) index, Bostic underlined that core inflation remained at 2.7% and warned against overconfidence in the fight against rising prices.
Bostic said that the upcoming employment data is important and that the Fed will be closely monitoring the employment growth figures. He noted that if employment growth falls significantly below 100,000, the Fed will need to assess the economic situation more thoroughly.
Bostic said in discussions with business leaders that companies do not expect widespread layoffs, which is consistent with the Fed's expectation of a stable labor market. However, if the labor market shows unexpected weakness, Bostic is open to considering a 50 basis point rate cut as a precautionary measure.
Looking ahead, Bostic reaffirmed that the Fed's baseline expectation is for “orderly” policy easing, with inflation continuing to slow while a stable labor market is maintained.
*This is not investment advice.