Bernanke Says Fed May Delay QE Taper If Economy Misses Forecasts

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke opened the door to a delay in reducing the central bank’s bond buying program, saying it will depend on data that economists say are falling short of the Fed’s own forecasts.

The Fed’s $85 billion in monthly asset purchases “are by no means on a preset course,” Bernanke said yesterday in his semiannual testimony to Congress. He added that the Federal Open Market Committee will “be responding to the data.”