Williams Says Fed ‘Should Stick to’ Plan for Gradual Rate Hikes

  • San Francisco Fed chief doesn’t see economy in faster gear
  • ‘Economy’s performing almost exactly as expected’: Williams

John Williams

Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg
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Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco Fed President John Williams downplayed concerns that the U.S. central bank would overreact to a brightening economic outlook by ramping up the pace of interest-rate increases.

“I have boosted my growth forecasts for this year, but I don’t see an economy that’s fundamentally shifted gear,” he said in remarks prepared for delivery Friday in San Francisco. Noting that the Fed had outlined a path of gradual rate hikes in 2018, Williams said “my own view is we should stick to that plan.”