Fed's Barkin says rate hikes are still on the table if inflation doesn't continue to ease

cnbc.com:

Richmond Federal Reserve President Thomas Barkin said Wednesday that policymakers need to retain the option of raising interest rates if inflation doesn't show enough progress coming down.

Markets largely expect the Fed has stopped raising rates and will start cutting in 2024. But Barkin said he's not ready to commit to a particular policy path with so much uncertainty in the air.

«If inflation comes down naturally and smoothly, awesome, you know, there's no particular need to do anything with interest rates if inflation steps down,» he told CNBC's Steve Liesman during an interview at the CNBC CFO Council Summit.

«But if inflation is going to flare back up, I think you want to have the option of doing more on rates,» Barkin added. «I guess the bigger point is, there's no precision that anyone can point to at exactly what the level of rates that exactly handles inflation and exactly the way you want to handle it. So you're constantly trying to adjust on the fly as you learn more about the economy.»

Barkin spoke shortly after the Commerce Department reported that the economy grew at a 5.2% annualized pace in the third quarter. As growth has held strong, inflation is still above the Fed's 2% annual target, though it has shown a consistent progression lower in recent months. The Fed's preferred inflation measure of core personal consumption expenditures showed a 12-month rate of 3.7% in September and is expected to show a slightly lower reading in October.

Pricing in futures markets indicates the Fed could cut rates as much as four times, or a full percentage point, next year. Fed Governor Christopher Waller said Tuesday that he'd consider cuts if the inflation data shows progress over the next several months.

However,