WASHINGTON (AP) — A key Federal Reserve official said Tuesday that he is “increasingly confident” that the Fed's interest rate policies will succeed in bringing inflation back to the central bank's 2% target level.
The official, Christopher Waller, a member of the Fed's Board of Governors, cautioned that inflation is still too high and that it's not yet certain if a recent slowdown in price increases can be sustained.
Waller's remarks follow Chair Jerome Powell's more cautious comments earlier this month, when Powell said “we are not confident” that the Fed's key short-term interest rate was high enough to fully defeat inflation.
Inflation, measured year over year, has plunged from a peak of 9.1% in June 2022 to 3.2% in October.
Slower spending and hiring, he said, should help further cool inflation.
Persons:
“, Christopher Waller, ” Waller, Jerome Powell's, Powell, Waller
Organizations:
WASHINGTON, Federal Reserve, Fed's, of Governors, American Enterprise Institute
Locations:
Washington