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The
Fed has cumulatively raised its target rate by 525 basis points
to 5.25%-5.50% over the last 17 months.
"I think there's a lot more to be seen," Alan Blinder, Fed vice
chairman between 1994 and 1996, told the Reuters Global Markets
Forum (GMF).
"We're talking about historically average lags from monetary
policy to inflation of two to three years. So against that, if
it's three months or four months faster, that's not a big deal,
and suggests there's still plenty to come," Blinder added.
Blinder also said core inflation tends to react to monetary
policy action at a slower pace than headline inflation, and that
coupled with the transmission lags means the Fed should consider
pausing rates for some time from here.
Inflation as measured by the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE)
price index remains well above the Fed's 2% target, at 3.3%,
while the "core" rate, which excludes volatile food and energy
prices, is 4.2%, the most recent data shows.
The 'last mile' of bringing inflation down may prove difficult
for the Fed, Blinder said, adding that the central bank won't be
"stubborn" if inflation settles somewhat above its stated 2%
goal.
"Once that first digit of core PCE gets to be 2%, while maybe
the second digit is 2.8%, I think the Fed is going to start
getting relaxed about inflation," he said.
"They may conclude that the output and employment cost of
getting from 2.8% to 2% is just very high," Blinder said,
adding, however, that they "won't come anywhere close" to
publicly indicating a shift in the inflation goal.
(Reporting by Lisa Mattackal in Bangalore, Divya Chowdhury and
Savio Shetty in Mumbai; Editing by Divya Chowdhury and Andrea
Ricci)
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