Fed Official Sees Possible Rate Hike   04/07 06:18

   A top Federal Reserve official said Monday that an interest rate hike could 
be appropriate if inflation remains persistently above the central bank's 2% 
target, the latest sign that some policymakers are moving away from a bias 
toward reducing borrowing costs.

   WASHINGTON (AP) -- A top Federal Reserve official said Monday that an 
interest rate hike could be appropriate if inflation remains persistently above 
the central bank's 2% target, the latest sign that some policymakers are moving 
away from a bias toward reducing borrowing costs.

   Beth Hammack, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, said in an 
interview with The Associated Press that her general preference is for the Fed 
keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged "for quite some time."

   And she also said the Fed might have to cut its rate if higher gas prices 
caused the economy to slow and unemployment to rise. But if inflation remained 
elevated, a rate hike could be needed, she said.

   "I can foresee scenarios where we would need to reduce rates ... if the 
labor market deteriorates significantly," Hammack said. "Or I could see where 
we might need to raise rates if inflation stays persistently above our target."

   Hammack's comments suggest a growing concern among at least some 
policymakers that inflation, which was elevated before the Iran war, may 
require rate hikes to tame further. Rate increases by the Fed would be a sharp 
shift from late last year, when the central bank cut its key rate three times. 
Rate hikes could lift borrowing costs for consumers and businesses, including 
for mortgages, auto loans, and credit cards.

   Other Fed officials have recently opened the door to rate hikes, including 
Austan Goolsbee, president of the Chicago Fed. And minutes of the Fed's meeting 
in late January said that several of the 19 officials on the rate-setting 
committee supported altering the post-meeting statement to reflect the 
possibility of "upward adjustments" to rates.

   A rate hike would almost certainly prompt President Donald Trump to lash out 
at the Fed, which he has harshly criticized for not cutting rates further. He 
has called for the central bank's key rate to be lowered to 1%, down from its 
current level of about 3.6%.

   The government will update two inflation measures this week, though only one 
will likely reflect the impact of the jump in gas prices since the Iran war 
began Feb. 28. Gas prices averaged $4.12 a gallon nationwide Monday, according 
to AAA, up 80 cents from a month earlier.

   On Friday, the government will issue the March inflation report, providing a 
first read on the impact of higher gas and energy prices. Economists forecast 
that annual inflation will worsen significantly, jumping to 3.1% from 2.4% in 
February, according to a survey by data provider FactSet. On a monthly basis, 
they expect consumer prices rose 0.8% in March from February, which would be 
the biggest increase in almost four years.

   The Commerce Department will report the Fed's preferred inflation gauge for 
February on Thursday, though that won't incorporate any impact from the Iran 
conflict.

   Hammack said that the Cleveland Fed's own estimates show inflation could 
reach 3.5% in April, which would be the highest since 2024. Inflation spiked to 
9.1% in June 2022 before slowly declining.

   "Inflation has been running above our target for more than five years now," 
Hammack said, and a further increase would mean it is "moving in the wrong 
direction, away from our 2% objective."

   The Federal Reserve is required by Congress to seek low inflation and 
maximum employment, and higher gas prices could threaten both those mandates, 
creating a challenging situation for Fed officials.

   Consumers may react to higher gas prices by cutting back on their spending 
elsewhere in the economy, Hammack said, which could lead to weaker growth and 
layoffs, which the Fed would need to respond to with rate cuts.

   How the war impacts the economy will depend on how long it lasts and how 
high it lifts gas prices and other costs, Hammack said. Now in its sixth week, 
the conflict has already lasted longer than she expected when the Fed last met 
March 17-18, Hammack said.

   Hammack said rising gas prices stemming from the Iran war are "the No. 1 
thing" she hears about from people in her district, which covers Ohio and parts 
of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Kentucky.

   "We know that causes a lot of pain personally, as it eats up a bigger and 
bigger share of people's paychecks. So it's important for us to stay focused on 
it," she added.