Kansas City Fed hawk Esther George on the US outlook:
- Says Fed is 'understandably cautious'
- US fundamentals are strong enough to sustain growth
- Economy in 'good spot' to warrant further rate rises
- Fed should continue gradual pace of rate hikes
- Dec liftoff was 'a late start'
- Recent market volatility is no 'necessarily worrisome'
George is a voter this year and a major hawk. The comments are on the hawkish side as a whole but they're scaled down from her usual rhetoric and that's a notable shift to the more dovish side. She certainly doesn't sound like someone who is hell-bent on a March hike.
