-
President Bullard Explains His Recent FOMC Dissent
I dissented with the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) decision announced on Sept. 18, 2019, to lower the target range for the federal funds rate by 25 basis points to 1.75%-2.00%. In my view, lowering the target range by 50 basis points to 1.50%-1.75% would have been a more appropriate action. The following considerations factored into my decision. First, there are signs that U.S. economic growth is expected to slow in the near horizon. Trade policy uncertainty remains elevated, U.S. manufacturing already appears in recession, and many estimates of recession probabilities have risen from low to moderate levels. ... (full story)