Fed Officials Weighed Growth Measures; Some Favored Easing

Federal Reserve policy makers debated ways to invigorate the recovery and hiring this month, potentially laying the groundwork for action at their next gathering in late September.

Minutes of their closed-door meeting released yesterday in Washington showed that a few members of the Federal Open Market Committee favored a “more substantial move” at the Aug. 9 meeting beyond the pledge adopted by the panel to hold rates at record lows for the next two years.