U.S. Federal Reserve Vice Chair Stanley Fischer
addresses The Economic Club of New York in New
York March 23, 2015.
The U.S. job market is nearly at full
strength and the pace of interest rate increases
by the Federal Reserve will depend on how well
the economy is doing, Fed Vice Chairman Stanley
Fischer said on Tuesday.
In an interview with Bloomberg TV, Fischer
did not comment on the timing of the next Fed
rate hike but said "we choose the pace on basis
of data," and that U.S. "employment is very
close to full employment."
Fed Chair Janet Yellen said on Friday she
thought the case had grown stronger in recent
months for an interest rate increase, remarks
that Fischer later that day said were consistent
with a view that the U.S. central bank might
raise rates at its next policy meeting in
September.
Asked about the dollar on Tuesday, Fischer
said the currency's strength affected U.S.
inflation and company profits but improvements
in the labor market showed the economy had
withstood this headwind.
The Fed has signaled since March it would
lift rates twice this year, but investors have
been skeptical.
Prices for Fed funds futures on Tuesday
suggested they expect about a 20 percent chance
of a hike next month and just over even odds for
such a move in December <0#FF:> FFZ6. The Fed
also has a policy meeting scheduled for early
November.
The U.S. Labor Department's monthly
employment report on Friday is expected to show
the economy added 180,000 jobs in August,
according to the median forecast in a Reuters
poll.
(Reporting by Jason Lange; Editing by
Bernadette Baum)