Fed Chair Powell: Slower economic growth may be needed to conquer stubbornly high inflation

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER
AP Economics Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell says inflation remains too high and that bringing it down to the Fed’s target level will likely require a slower-growing economy and job market. Powell noted that inflation has cooled significantly from a year ago. But he cautioned that it’s not yet clear whether inflation is on a clear path back to the Fed’s 2% target. “A few months of good data are only the beginning of what it will take to build confidence that inflation is moving down sustainably toward our goal,” Powell said in remarks to the Economic Club of New York. “We cannot yet know how long these lower readings will persist or where inflation will settle over coming quarters.”