Arabic version: باركين يتوقع زيادات إضافية تدريجية في أسعار الفائدة من الاحتياطي الفيدرالي

According to Cnbc, Richmond Federal Reserve President Thomas Barkin expects the central bank will need to raise interest rates further, though he said the size and timing of any moves remain uncertain. Speaking in a CNBC interview during the Richmond Fed’s 2026 CFO Summit, Barkin pointed to low unemployment and elevated inflation as reasons monetary policy will need to adjust.

“Unemployment’s near record lows, and inflation is too high. That means the path is pretty straightforward. The question, of course, is pace,” Barkin said in the discussion with CNBC’s Steve Liesman. He said a gradual approach makes sense because of uncertainty and the information policymakers may receive over time.

The comments followed the Federal Open Market Committee’s decision a little more than a week earlier to keep its benchmark overnight borrowing rate in a 3.75% to 4% range. Barkin is not currently a voting member of the rate-setting committee, but will be one in 2027. The FOMC said after its meeting that it was awaiting the “accumulation of more information” while considering its next steps.

Barkin said he views current policy as close to a neutral level that neither restricts nor promotes growth. He said inflation is the most important risk and expressed hope that the Fed’s September quarter-percentage-point increase, along with any future actions, will affect price pressures. He also identified artificial intelligence as a source of price pressures, while saying it could eventually boost production and help ease inflation. Markets were pricing in a better than 80% chance of a December increase and one additional move in 2027, according to CME Group’s FedWatch tool.