Economics
Powell Says Soft Landing ‘Very Challenging;’ Recession Possible
- Chair says chances of recession are not particularly elevated
- Policy makers must be nimble if conditions surprise, he says
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Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell gave his most explicit acknowledgment to date that steep interest-rate hikes could tip the US economy into recession, saying one is possible and calling a soft landing “very challenging.”
“The other risk, though, is that we would not manage to restore price stability and that we would allow this high inflation to get entrenched in the economy,” Powell told lawmakers on Wednesday. “We can’t fail on that task. We have to get back to 2% inflation.”