Economic weakness points to Fed action
Source: Financial Times
The US will make little progress tackling high unemployment before 2014 unless the Federal Reserve eases policy further, one of the central banks leading officials has warned in the run-up to a meeting next week where the option of QE3 will be on the table.
The comments by John Williams, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, show how the weak economy is pushing the central bank towards action to support growth.
In an interview with the Financial Times, he forecast that unless further action was taken, there would be a lack of progress in boosting the jobs market where the unemployment rate has been stuck around 8.2 per cent since the start of the year over the next 18 months.
But he declined to call directly for a Fed move. I think the argument against further action is the question of uncertainty around the effects, the costs and the benefits of doing so, he said.
Read more: http://liveweb.archive.org/http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/aa8216cc-d3ed-11e1-942c-00144feabdc0.html
1MeanBean
(7 posts)Whatever the Fed does is a joke and nothing but free money to banksters thanks to their conflicts of interest. Like George Carlin said...they don't give a F**k about you! All it will do is drive up higher metals, oil and food prices like it always does.
DallasNE
(7,403 posts)The Fed is pretty much out of bullets for turning the economy around. There will likely be long term consequences to QE2 so QE3 would just make those matters worse.
Bernanke has in a muted tone chided Congress to provide fiscal stimulus to the economy. Congress isn't listening, so Bernanke needs to turn up the heat on Congress -- even giving strong hints on which fiscal moves would do the most good. I know, Bernanke likes to stick to monetary policy and let the Congress and the President determine fiscal policy but this clearly isn't working so Bernanke would be well advised to take the heat and lay out a series of measures Congress could take and let Congress "right size" the package with the consent of the President.
Everybody knows that the economy isn't being held back by monetary policy, set by the Fed. It is being held back by fiscal policy, which the House has refused to address.
elleng
(131,073 posts)correctly, unfortunately. Don't know what more any Fed Chair could do. Did any, ever? 'Lecture' Congress? Don't see that helping anyone.
DallasNE
(7,403 posts)Fed Chairmen have steered clear of this in the past. Somebody in authority needs to stand up and start pointing fingers and let the chips fall where they may. It's called leadership and it is in short supply. When the President does this it is called political, which it is, even when it is the truth. Commissions don't do any good, Simpson-Bowles proves that. America first died long ago at the hands of money interests and Super PAC's.
marmar
(77,088 posts)nt
Selatius
(20,441 posts)The federal government is in a better position to address this problem. The government is already practicing deficit spending, and its effects are helping somewhat to prop up the economy. All it would have to do is re-aim some of that spending towards putting people to work. Half the discretionary budget goes towards war and war preparation. Just ten percent of that re-aimed towards a jobs program could put a lot of people back to work.