In a prepared speech, Richmond Fed President Thomas Barkin said ” as we enter 2019, I hear a lot of concern” regarding growth. Such concerns were driven by “trade, international economies or politics.” And some were “market driven, as volatility has increased and the yield curve has narrowed.”
Also, he noted that “some companies are still feeling hungover from the Great Recession” and that’s a real issue. That is, “as the economy’s numbers look strong but business sentiment has weakened considerably.”
Barking concluded that “the United States faces a slower growth trend that isn’t in any of our interests. Changing the slope is doable via initiatives to expand the workforce and boost productivity growth.”
