Fed officials agree on a March rate hike but little else

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER
AP Economics Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — A worsening inflation picture has touched off a range of opinions from the Federal Reserve’s policymakers about just how fast they should raise interest rates beginning at their next meeting in March. James Bullard, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, reiterated his call for the Fed to take the aggressive step of raising its benchmark short-term rate by a full percentage point by July 1. Esther George, president of the Kansas City Fed, expressed support for a more “gradual” approach. And Mary Daly of the San Francisco Fed declined to commit herself to more than a modest rate hike next month.