By Andrea Shalal
WASHINGTON, June 26 (Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund's chief economist on Friday said Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh's plan to reduce forward rate guidance on monetary policy was "entirely appropriate," although central banks would always need to provide some long-term guidance for markets.
Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas, who leaves his post to return to academic life next week, said strong forward guidance had gotten "really bad press" because it committed central banks to some future action, regardless of economic developments.
"That is something that is not tenable, of course," Gourinchas told Reuters in an interview, adding that such rigid guidance had proven to be very costly when U.S. inflation surged in 2021 and 2022 but the Fed did not act quickly because it had earlier promised to keep rates steady.
"So I think moving away from these strong forms of forward guidance is entirely appropriate. Saying there is no forward guidance, I don't think that is actually the case ever. You do it explicitly, or implicitly, the market is going to form a view," he said.
WASHINGTON, June 26 (Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund's chief economist on Friday said Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh's plan to reduce forward rate guidance on monetary policy was "entirely appropriate," although central banks would always need to provide some long-term guidance for markets.
Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas, who leaves his post to return to academic life next week, said strong forward guidance had gotten "really bad press" because it committed central banks to some future action, regardless of economic developments.
"That is something that is not tenable, of course," Gourinchas told Reuters in an interview, adding that such rigid guidance had proven to be very costly when U.S. inflation surged in 2021 and 2022 but the Fed did not act quickly because it had earlier promised to keep rates steady.
"So I think moving away from these strong forms of forward guidance is entirely appropriate. Saying there is no forward guidance, I don't think that is actually the case ever. You do it explicitly, or implicitly, the market is going to form a view," he said.
3 months ago
