MW: Fed's Lockhart sees stronger second-half growth
By Greg Robb
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - The economy should rebound in the final six months of the year after a "disappointing" first half, said Dennis Lockhart, the president of the Atlanta Fed on Monday. "I think many of the influences on the economy in the first half are, in fact, temporary, and we will see them subside as the year goes on," Lockhart said in an interview on the Fox Business Network. Lockhart said he and many of his colleagues are in a "wait-and-see mode," awaiting evidence that growth has firmed, he added. It is conceivable that the Fed remains on hold for a long period, he said. The Atlanta Fed president, who will be a voting FOMC member next year, said he has not changed his mind that there is a "very high bar" to implementation of another round of quantitative easing, or QE3.
