WASHINGTON – Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell suggested Thursday that inflation will pick up in the coming months but that it would likely prove temporary and not enough for the Fed to alter its record-low interest rate policies.
Powell also said the outlook for the economy has improved after three months of weak job growth. But he cautioned that the economy and the job market are still far from fully recovered and that full employment would not be achieved this year.
The chairman offered no signal that the Fed might respond soon to rising interest rates on Treasury securities by altering its bond-buying policies. “We think our current policy stance is appropriate,” Powell said.