Comments from Fed vice-chairman Stanley Fischer:
- US may well be seeing the first stirrings of an increase in the inflation rate, Fed would like that to happen
- Getting reasonable inflation expectations from TIPS is a struggle
- It has been hard to discern an oil price cut bonus for the US economy
- Central banks can stimulate economies using quantitative easing, other measures even at the zero bound
Fisher doesn't sound particularly hawkish but he's left the door open to more hikes this year or a hawkish statement next week.
He also made a good joke:
