(Bloomberg) -- Most Fed policy makers in April said an interest rate increase would be appropriate in June if the economy continued to improve, but were divided over whether those conditions were likely to be met in time.
“Most participants judged that if incoming data were consistent with economic growth picking up in the second quarter, labor market conditions continuing to strengthen and inflation making progress toward the committee’s 2% objective, then it likely would be appropriate for the committee to increase the target range for the federal funds rate in June,” according to minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee’s April 26-27 meeting released Wednesday in Washington.
“Participants expressed a range of views about the likelihood that incoming information would make it appropriate to adjust the stance of policy at the time of the next meeting,” the minutes stated.
Referring to the June meeting, officials “generally judged it appropriate to leave their policy options open and maintain the flexibility to make this decision” based on how the economy evolves, the minutes said.
After a weak first quarter, more recent indicators show a rebound in the second. A bump in inflation reported this week lifted investor expectations for the path of rates this year, though odds of a June hike remained low, at about 14%, based on federal funds futures pricing.
CONSUMER PRICES
The consumer price index rose by the most in more than three years in April. Recent data on housing and consumer spending have also indicated signs of growth. Gross domestic product in the second quarter is on pace to expand 2.5%, according to the Atlanta Fed’s GDPNow gauge. That’s a pickup from 0.5% growth in from January through March.
In April, Fed officials left rates unchanged for their third straight session, but indicated they were “leaving open the possibility” of a June hike. Risks to the outlook included a U.K. referendum June 23 to leave the European Union and possible financial instability associated with China’s currency, the minutes showed.
Some meeting participants expressed concern that markets were ill-prepared for a June rate hike and “emphasized the importance of communicating clearly over the intermeeting period how the committee intends to respond to economic and financial developments.”
DISTRICT PRESIDENTS
Several Fed presidents, including Boston Fed chief Eric Rosengren and San Francisco Fed President John Williams, have delivered speeches in recent days expressing concern that markets were underestimating the chances for a rate increase next month.
Fed policy makers will gather again in Washington on June 14-15, and Chair Janet Yellen will discuss the decision in a press conference as she does every other meeting.
The committee raised rates for the first time in almost a decade in December. They’ve since been on hold in response to a burst of market volatility early this year and a slowdown in U.S. growth in the first quarter.
The FOMC has also taken a pass since December on making a so-called balance-of-risks statement, in which they weigh upside and downside threats to their outlook. In March they warned that global developments “continue to pose risks,” a warning they dropped in April.
“This change in language was intended to convey the committee’s sense that the risks associated with global developments had diminished somewhat since the March FOMC meeting without characterizing the overall balance of risks,” the minutes said.
