Harker, Mester and Lockhart answer questions

I will update live. Or watch it live.

Lockhart:

  • I often get bond traders asking me about interest rates at parties, I go stonefaced
  • Low productivity a 'head-scratcher'
  • There is a growing disconnect between our human capital, what it's capable of and the demands of modern employment
  • There is still much reason to be optimistic
  • The performance of our economy is 'not bad'

Mester:

  • The FOMC really is an apolitical, policy-nerdy group

Harker:

  • I worry about Americans losing hope, then we're really in trouble
  • What we need is a vision for the country

Separately, in Dallas Kaplan once again said global oil supply and demand should be in balance in the first quarter of 2017.

  • Kaplan said he's expects US growth to rebound in H2
  • US growth is sluggish by any standards
  • US growth is enough to continue to take slack out of the US labor market
  • US economy isn't overheating
  • Brexit impact manageable so long as others don't leave EU
  • Fed is not as accommodative as people think
  • China has bigger implications for US economy than Brexit