Fed Governor Michelle Bowman said in a speech yesterday that she’s “mindful that the remaining benefits to the economy from our asset purchases are now likely outweighed by the potential costs.”
“Provided the economy continues to improve as I expect, I am very comfortable at this point with a decision to start to taper our asset purchases before the end of the year and, preferably, as early as at our next meeting in November,” she added.
Bowman also noted that the asset purchases have “essentially served their purpose.” She’s particularly concerned that “asset purchases could now be contributing to valuation pressures, especially in housing and equity markets.” The loose monetary policy could now “pose risks to the stability of longer-term inflation expectations.”
