Economics
Fed’s Waller Says Economy Can Handle Half-Point Rate Hikes
- Rate needs to get to neutral level ‘as soon as possible’
- Governor says he prefers a ‘front-loading approach’ for rates
Christopher Waller
Photographer: Bess Adler/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said the U.S. economy could handle aggressive policy tightening as he reiterated support for raising interest rates by a half point next month.
“I prefer a front-loading approach. So a 50 basis-point hike in May would be consistent with that and possibly more in June and July.” Waller said in an interview with CNBC Television on Wednesday. “We want to get above neutral certainly by the later half of this year and we need to get closer to neutral as soon as possible.”