Inflation has begun to cool meaningfully, but unemployment remains historically low at 3.6 percent and hiring has been robust.
Consumers continue to spend at a solid pace and are helping to boost overall growth, based on strong gross domestic product data released on Thursday.
Mr. Powell said that while he was not yet ready to use the term “optimism,” he saw a possible pathway to a relatively painless slowdown.
Those rate moves are trickling through the economy, making it more expensive to buy cars and houses on borrowed money and making it pricier for businesses to take out loans.
“The prevailing consensus right before things went downhill in 2007, 2000 and 1990 was for a soft landing,” said Gennadiy Goldberg, a rates strategist at TD Securities.
Persons:
Jerome H, Powell, ”, Gennadiy Goldberg
Organizations:
TD Securities, “
Locations:
Washington