Fed’s Lockhart Favors Liftoff Soon Even If New Data Are Mixed

Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta President Dennis Lockhart said the U.S. economy has made enough progress to warrant raising interest rates soon, even if incoming economic indicators are mixed.

“I think the point of liftoff is close,” Lockhart said in remarks prepared for delivery in Atlanta on Monday. “As the Committee approaches what I consider a historic decision, I am not expecting the data signals to point uniformly in the same direction. I don’t need this.”