Federal Reserve officials have been hesitant to give credence to market speculation that they will boost the stimulus they are giving to the economy via changes in their bond-buying program, as many of them have said renewed fiscal aid is what the economy really needs. Some Fed officials also have said they see no need now to change the central bank’s support for the economy. With the interest-rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee preparing to meet Dec. 15-16, here is a sampling of what Fed officials have said since their last gathering in November.
Chairman Jerome Powell (voter)
Dec. 1, Senate Banking Committee testimony
“We are committed to using our full range of tools to support the economy and to help assure that the recovery from this difficult period will be as robust as possible on behalf of communities, families and businesses across the country.”
Vice Chairman Richard Clarida (voter)
Nov. 16, virtual
“We’re buying a lot of Treasurys, we’re buying $80 billion a month, that’s comparable to the pace of QE2…These are big programs, the mortgage program is also quite, quite substantial.”
Vice Chairman for Supervision Randal Quarles (voter)
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