Money @ CNN: Bernanke warns against hitting the brakes too soon

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#1
Licence to keep printing $... Wall $treet Up, Up and Away ...

FED FOCUS
Bernanke warns against hitting the brakes too soon
By Annalyn Kurtz @AnnalynKurtz May 22, 2013: 10:22 AM ET

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Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke warns of risks of raising interest rates too soon, reiterates that Congress needs to do more to help economy.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney)
The U.S. economy is on stronger footing than a year ago, but Ben Bernanke wants to be careful not to squelch the recovery now.
"A premature tightening of monetary policy could lead interest rates to rise temporarily, but would also carry a substantial risk of slowing or ending the economic recovery and causing inflation to fall further," the Federal Reserve Chairman told the U.S. congressional Joint Economic Committee on Wednesday.

The Federal Reserve has kept its key short-term interest rate near zero since December 2008, and expects it to stay there for a "considerable time" as the recovery strengthens, Bernanke said.
The central bank is also engaged in a controversial stimulus policy known as quantitative easing, in which it buys $85 billion a month in mortgage-backed securities and Treasury bonds. The policy is intended to reduce long-term interest rates, and thereby stimulate the economy through various channels.
Low mortgage rates, for instance, have played a key role in the housing recovery, allowing some homeowners to refinance and giving buyers an incentive to purchase a home, Bernanke said.
The housing recovery has also boosted construction and real estate jobs, he noted. Since 2011, those two industries have added about 416,000 jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

It's unclear, though, how effective the policy has been in healing the job market overall. The economy lost 8.7 million jobs in the aftermath of the financial crisis, and has since gained only about 6.2 million jobs back.
As of April, the unemployment rate was 7.5% -- an improvement from its high of 10% during the financial crisis, but still well above its pre-recession level. Just six years ago, the unemployment rate was at 4.5%.
Bernanke cited his concerns about not just unemployment, but also underemployment. About 8 million people are working part-time even though they would prefer full-time work.
"High rates of unemployment and underemployment are extraordinarily costly," Bernanke said.
Meanwhile, quantitative easing is credited for stoking stocks to record highs. Some critics, including hawkish members of the Fed, also blame it for fueling bubbles in other assets, including junk bonds and farmland.
Related: Fed's Dudley says new plan needed to end stimulus
Bernanke reiterated Wednesday that the Fed is closely watching for indications of financial instability, including signs that low interest rates may spur investors to "reach for yield" and turn to riskier assets.
The Fed is aiming to keep short-term interest rates near zero until the unemployment rate falls to 6.5% or inflation exceeds 2.5% a year. By the Fed's own forecasts, that scenario is not likely to happen until at least 2015.
The Fed expects to wind down quantitative easing before then, but the timing is not yet clear. Fed watchers have recently been parsing every word out of officials' mouths for hints. Bernanke offered little on that in his prepared testimony Wednesday, but all eyes are on his Q&A with lawmakers for more details.
At risk of sounding like a broken record, Bernanke also repeated the same advice he's been giving Congress for years: Congress and the Obama administration should focus on supporting the recovery now, he said, while bringing the country's finances in order over the longer term.


First Published: May 22, 2013: 10:04 AM ET
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#2
These Fed officials are on the edge... as volatile as the stock market... early signs that bond mkt bulls are tiring out... remember bond dark years start in '4'

http://www.cnbc.com/id/100758771

Fed Minutes: Participants Mull Tapering as Soon as June
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Published: Wednesday, 22 May 2013 | 2:00 PM ET

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Source: Federal Reserve | Flickr
Federal Reserve Building, Washington, D.C.
"A number of participants" on the U.S. Federal Reserve's Federal Open Markets Committee this month favored slowing the Fed's efforts to maintain record-low long-term interest rates as early as summer — if the economy showed strong and sustained growth.

But those officials appeared at odds over what evidence would demonstrate such gains.

Minutes of the Fed's April 30-May 1 meeting released Wednesday show "a number" of members expressed a willingness to scale back the $85 billion a month in Treasury and mortgage bonds the Fed has been purchasing, perhaps as soon as June, if the economy accelerates. The Fed next meets on June 18-19.


Play Video
June Taper Possible?
A number of participants express willingness to reduce QE in June, with CNBC's Steve Liesman. Bill Gross, Pimco, weighs in.
Following the release, U.S. stocks added to losses. The market had moved higher earlier in the session after Chairman Ben Bernanke, the Fed's most important voice, signaled in testimony to Congress that it is too soon for the Federal Reserve to slow its extraordinary stimulus programs. (Click here to track the U.S. stock market reaction after the report.)

Reducing the Fed's efforts to keep borrowing rates low would "carry a substantial risk of slowing or ending the economic recovery," Bernanke said in testimony to the Joint Economic Committee, a panel that includes members of the House and Senate.
The Fed has been buying $85 billion a month in Treasury and mortgage bonds since September. That has helped lower long-term interest rates and encouraged more borrowing and spending.

After the April 30-May 1 meeting, the Fed said it could increase or decrease the pace depending on how the job market and inflation fare.

In recent months, the job market and the broader economy have shown renewed vigor. The economy has added an average of 208,000 jobs a month since November. That's up from only 138,000 a month in the previous six months.

At Wednesday's hearing, Bernanke noted that the economy is growing moderately this year and unemployment has fallen to a four-year low of 7.5 percent. Still, unemployment remains well above levels consistent with healthy economies. And Bernanke said higher taxes and deep federal spending cuts are expected to slow economic growth this year.

When pressed by lawmakers, Bernanke said the pace could be reduced over the next few meetings, if the job market shows "real and sustainable progress." And he wouldn't rule out curtailing the purchases by Labor Day.

But Bernanke said that the Fed could just as quickly reverse course and pick up the pace if the economy falters.
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