© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond President Thomas Barkin poses during a break at a Dallas Fed conference on technology in Dallas, Texas, U.S., May 23, 2019. REUTERS/Ann Saphir/File Photo
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Richmond Federal Reserve Bank President Thomas Barkin said on Thursday he had not come to a view yet on what rate increase might be appropriate at the Fed’s May 1-2 meeting.
“There is a lot of uncertainty about what if anything this bank situation does to consumer confidence, business confidence, business investment, consumer spending, availability of credit … There are a lot of questions about what is going to happen to demand and inflation,” Barkin said, referring to stress in the banking industry following the recent failures of two institutions.
“It is pretty hard to know here on the 30th of March.”
