Evans: Trump Policies May Help Growth

Chicago Fed President Charles Evans told reporters Monday following a talk in Chicago that policies under discussion by the incoming administration could help reinforce economic growth.

"It's still early to have a good idea of what fiscal policies and other events are going to mean for the outlook," he said.

"We are going to have to be patient a bit in thinking about what the actual sources of stimulus are going to be," Evans said. "I don't see any reason to be less optimistic" about the economic outlook than before the election, he added.

Analysts surveyed by Bloomberg forecast economic growth will accelerate next year as unemployment remains below 5 percent and inflation picks up. A Labor Department report released Friday showed the jobless rate fell to 4.6 percent, the lowest since 2007.

"At 4.6 percent unemployment and an expectation that the economy will continue to be strong, you don't need explicit stimulus" from the government, according to Evans, who will have a vote on the rate-setting FOMC next year.

Bloomberg News
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