It may take a few months more for the U.S. job market to recover enough that the Federal Reserve can reduce its crisis-era support for the economy, according to Richmond Federal Reserve Bank President Thomas Barkin, who added a centrist voice to the open debate about when to trim the central bank’s $120 billion in monthly bond purchases. Several of Barkin’s colleagues have argued the purchases should be phased out fast to put monetary policy on a more normal footing, prepare for eventual interest rate increases as a guard against inflation, and temper housing and other asset price increases that may be boosted by the ... (full story)