Pres. Bullard, Interview, Bloomberg, Inflation, Monetary Policy

April 12, 2021

St. Louis Fed President James Bullard discussed his expectations for economic growth and inflation in 2021. He also discussed various aspects of U.S. monetary policy during an appearance on Bloomberg Radio and TV.

Bullard said he expects 6.5% growth for the U.S. economy this year, which would be one of the fastest growth rates for the U.S. since the mid-1980s. He also expects more inflation in 2021 than in recent years and would like to see some of that flow through to inflation expectations so they become better centered at 2%, he said.

Bullard also said it is too early to talk about changing course on the Fed's 'very easy monetary policy' while the nation is still in the 'pandemic tunnel.' It will be time to start assessing where to go next after the pandemic is more substantially behind us, he said.

Bullard also discussed financial stability, the increase in the 10-year Treasury yield to pre-pandemic levels, the potential for higher productivity growth in the U.S., infrastructure spending and digital currencies.

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Listen to the full interview.