Fed is prepared to return to bigger interest rate increases: Jay Powell

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, in his testimony on the semiannual Monetary Policy Report to the U.S. Congress, said that the Fed is prepared to increase the pace of rate hikes, if the totality of the data were to indicate that faster tightening is warranted.

My colleagues and I are acutely aware that high inflation is causing significant hardship, and we are strongly committed to returning inflation to our 2 percent goalOur policy actions are guided by our dual mandate to promote maximum employment and stable prices, Powell said.

Powell also noted that the latest economic data have come in stronger than expected, which suggests that the ultimate level of interest rates is likely to be higher than previously anticipated.

The Fed continues to anticipate that ongoing increases in the target range for the federal funds rate will be appropriate in order to attain a stance of monetary policy that is sufficiently restrictive to return inflation to 2% and that restoring price stability will likely require a restrictive stance of monetary policy for some time.

"Our overarching focus is using our tools to bring inflation back down to our 2 percent goal and to keep longer-term inflation expectations well anchored. Restoring price stability is essential to set the stage for achieving maximum employment and stable prices over the longer run. The historical record cautions strongly against prematurely loosening policy. We will stay the course until the job is done, the Fed Chair said.

The Fed raised the target range for the fed funds rate by 25bps to 4.5%-4.75% in its February 2023 meeting, dialing back the size of the increase for a second straight meeting but still pushing borrowing costs to the highest since 2007.

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