El outlook de la economia es debil, estan preparados para tomar mas medidas si fuera necesario.
Bernanke Signals No Policy Shift
By TOM BARKLEY And MICHAEL R. CRITTENDEN
WASHINGTON -- Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke signaled Wednesday that no moves were imminent to bolster the recovery despite a "somewhat weaker outlook" for the economy.
In his semiannual monetary policy testimony to the Senate Banking Committee, the Fed chief assured that the central bank would remain flexible in light of the "unusually uncertain" economic outlook.
.Even as the central bank continues to plan for an eventual return from ultra-accommodative policy, "we remain prepared to take further policy actions as needed to foster a return to full utilization of our nation's productive potential in a context of price stability," Mr. Bernanke said in prepared remarks.
Fed officials downgraded their economic forecasts at last month's monetary policy meeting in the face of weakening consumer spending and labor market conditions, as well as concerns about a spillover from the European debt troubles. The economy is now expected to expand between 3% and 3.5% in 2010, down from an April estimate of 3.2% to 3.7% growth.
A few officials see a growing threat of deflation, minutes from the June 22-23 meeting showed, though Mr. Bernanke made no mention of that risk.
The recovery is continuing at a "moderate pace," he said, with expectations that private demand will help offset the impact of waning fiscal stimulus and a slowdown in inventory buildup.
While overall inflation has been volatile, core prices have trended lower over the past two years, he said.
Sovereign debt concerns in Europe have made financial conditions less supportive of growth in recent months, though dollar swap lines the Fed reopened with several central banks have boosted market confidence despite their limited use.
The soundness of the U.S. banking system has also improved significantly, he said, with loss rates on most loans likely peaking.
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.Mr. Bernanke and other members of the policy-making Federal Open Market Committee "expect continued moderate growth, a gradual decline in the unemployment rate, and subdued inflation over the next several years," he said.
The deterioration in the outlook has been too modest to force policymakers to consider additional stimulus. But the minutes from the last meeting showed a shift in the debate within the Fed -- from trying to agree on a date to start selling mortgage debt bought up during the crisis, to raising the possibility of further accommodation.
Mr. Bernanke made no suggestion that additional stimulus measures may be needed, reiterating the message that has been conveyed for over a year that the Fed plans to keep short-term rates at record lows for "an extended period."
His comments remained focused on how the central bank will need to tighten conditions to prevent inflation "at some point."
At least one lawmaker disagreed, with Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd (D., Conn.) asking what more the Fed can do to expand output and employment.
"It looks like our economy is in need of additional help," said Mr. Dodd in his opening remarks.
Laying out the exit strategy, Mr. Bernanke said that instead of raising the key federal-funds rate at which banks lend to each other, the Fed will start lifting short-term rates by paying banks more on reserves.
To improve the effectiveness of that effort, the Fed will also drain a portion of the more than $1.0 trillion in excess reserves that banks have accumulated from central bank purchases of mortgage-backed securities and Treasurys, he said.
The Fed has recently started testing ways to drain liquidity. The central bank has carried out reverse-repurchase agreements, or reverse repos, in which banks lock up money by borrowing against the Fed's portfolio of securities holdings. Through several term deposit auctions, the Fed has also set up interest-bearing deposits to give banks an incentive to stash their money at the central bank instead of lending it out.
Over the longer run, the Fed plans to reduce its portfolio to more normal levels, said Mr. Bernanke.
So far, the Fed has let the mortgage-related debt it acquired to mature or get paid off without reinvesting the proceeds, while rolling over its holdings of maturing Treasury securities into new Treasurys of similar maturity.
To shrink the portfolio, the central bank could reinvest proceeds from Treasurys into shorter-dated Treasurys, though no decision on that has been made, he said.
Fed officials broadly agree that the central bank should eventually sell some of the holdings of agency and mortgage-backed securities it bought up to shore up the housing market, said Mr. Bernanke.
Many economists don't expect the fed-funds rate to be lifted from the 0%-to-0.25% range it has held since late 2008 until well into next year.
On a day when President Barack Obama signed into law the most sweeping regulatory overhaul since the Great Depression, Mr. Bernanke said "much work remains to be done" to implement the measures and develop macro-prudential tools.
But he said the bill, along with stronger capital and liquidity standards being developed, will minimize the risk of repeat of the financial crisis.
Beating back congressional threats to its supervisory authority and independence, the Fed emerged with even greater powers than before the crisis. The central bank will oversee the largest, systemically important financial firms.
Congress also stopped short of demanding the power to audit monetary policy decisions, instead agreeing to a one-time review of crisis lending activity.