financetom
Economy
financetom
/
Economy
/
Fed's Daly says US policy 'slightly restrictive,' next step uncertain
News World Market Environment Technology Personal Finance Politics Retail Business Economy Cryptocurrency Forex Stocks Market Commodities
Fed's Daly says US policy 'slightly restrictive,' next step uncertain
Jul 2, 2026 6:51 AM

July 2 (Reuters) - San Francisco Federal Reserve President Mary Daly said on Thursday that U.S. monetary policy is "slightly restrictive" but that with "exceedingly strong" investment growth in AI-related technology and a stable labor market it's unclear what the Fed's next step should be.

"I think there's a scenario where we have to fight inflation that turns out to be more persistent," Daly said at a Banco de España conference in Santander, Spain, noting that the drop in oil prices since the Iran war ceasefire is good news for the economy and the consumer. "There's also a scenario where the growth just doesn't continue to sustain itself ... or the investment slows because people are worried they haven't seen the gains yet."

Daly spoke as the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released data showing U.S. job growth slowed sharply last month. Traders reacted by exiting bets on a Fed rate hike later this month and reducing bets on a rate hike in September. 

Daly had just participated in a global central banking conference in Sintra, Portugal where Fed Chairman Kevin Warsh promised he would "disappoint" anyone who expected the U.S. central bank to fail to contain inflation, now in its sixth year of running above the Fed's 2% target.

At the same time he emphasized the huge impact AI is already having on the economy, in the near term pushing up on demand but at some point also driving up supply, forces that act in opposite ways on inflation. 

Daly said the uncertainty around AI's impact on the economy holds her back from rushing on an interest rate decision. 

"You don't want to react quickly when the world is changing quickly," she said Thursday. "You want to assess before you jump or act because you'll make better decisions."  

Comments
Welcome to financetom comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Related Articles >
Potential impact of Trump policies raised inflation concerns at Fed, minutes show
Potential impact of Trump policies raised inflation concerns at Fed, minutes show
Feb 19, 2025
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's initial policy proposals stoked concern at the Federal Reserve about higher inflation, with firms telling the U.S. central bank they generally expected to raise prices to pass through the cost of import tariffs, policymakers said at a meeting held about a week after Trump's January 20 inauguration. Participants at the U.S. central bank's January...
Daily Roundup of Key US Economic Data for Feb. 19
Daily Roundup of Key US Economic Data for Feb. 19
Feb 19, 2025
02:35 PM EST, 02/19/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Housing starts fell by 9.8% to a 1.366 million annual rate in January, with single-family housing starts and multi-family starts both lower. Building permits rose by 0.1% to a 1.483 million rate in January. Single-family permits were unchanged, while multi-family permits were up slightly. Homes permitted but not started increased by 1.4%, suggesting...
US Equity Indexes Search for Direction as Geopolitics, Tariffs Sap Risk Sentiment
US Equity Indexes Search for Direction as Geopolitics, Tariffs Sap Risk Sentiment
Feb 19, 2025
01:09 PM EST, 02/19/2025 (MT Newswires) -- US equity indexes were mixed in choppy midday trading Wednesday as investors weighed geopolitical risks and punitive import tariffs amid a steeper-than-forecast slump in housing starts. The Nasdaq Composite and the S&P 500 at their respective 20,031.7 and 6,131.2 levels changed little after trading lower earlier in the session. The Dow Jones Industrial...
Federal Reserve Watch for Feb. 19: FOMC Minutes Hint at Extended Pause in Rate Cuts as Inflation Remains Elevated
Federal Reserve Watch for Feb. 19: FOMC Minutes Hint at Extended Pause in Rate Cuts as Inflation Remains Elevated
Feb 19, 2025
02:37 PM EST, 02/19/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Minutes of the Jan. 28-29 FOMC meeting showed that participants believed they were 'well positioned' to pause rate reductions given the uncertainty of the fiscal policy outlook and still elevated inflation. The minute said that the FOMC would like to see further progress on inflation before considering further rate reductions, particularly given the...
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.financetom.com All Rights Reserved