国际英语资讯:Feds Powell says trade tensions weigh on U.S. economy_时事

国际英语资讯:Feds Powell says trade tensions weigh on U.S. economy

WASHINGTON, July 10 -- U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said Wednesday that crosscurrents such as trade tensions and concerns about global growth have been weighing on the U.S. economic activity and outlook.

In his prepared remarks to lawmakers at the House Committee on Financial Services, where he testified on the Semiannual Monetary Policy Report, Powell said many participants of the Fed's Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) "saw that the case for a somewhat more accommodative monetary policy had strengthened."

Powell said Fed officials were mindful of ongoing crosscurrents from global growth and trade at the May FOMC meeting, adding that since then "these crosscurrents have re-emerged, creating greater uncertainty."

国际英语资讯:Feds Powell says trade tensions weigh on U.S. economy1

"Apparent progress on trade turned to greater uncertainty, and our contacts in business and agriculture report heightened concerns over trade developments," he said. "Growth indicators from around the world have disappointed on net, raising concerns that weakness in the global economy will continue to affect the U.S. economy."

The above concerns, the chairman said, "may have contributed to the drop in business confidence in some recent surveys and may have started to show through to incoming data."

Powell said growth in business investment has slowed "notably," and "overall growth in the second quarter appears to have moderated."

Noting that inflation has been below the FOMC's symmetric 2 percent objective, Powell said, "There is a risk that weak inflation will be even more persistent than we currently anticipate," hinting at the possibility of a rate cut.