MW: Greek debt crisis is âwild cardâ as Fedâs Dudley considers September hike
A key Federal Reserve official says the central bank may lift interest rates in September, but he acknowledges that the tumultuous situation in Greece is a âwild cardâ that could impact plans.
William Dudley, the president of the New York Fed and vice chairman of the Federal Open Market Committee, told the Financial Times in an interview that an interest-rate hike at either the September or December meeting was a possibility.
âIf we hit 2.5% growth in the second quarter and it looks like the third quarter is shaping up for something similar, then I think you are on a firm enough track that you would imagine you would have made sufficient progress in our two tests, certainly by the end of the year,â he said. âIt would not shock me if we decided to lift off in September, or it wouldnât shock me if the data were a little softer and it caused us to wait.â
Dudley, who talked to the newspaper on Friday, said contagion from Greece was a real possibility.