Trump bump? Fed officials prepare projections into new presidential term
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Since Donald Trump's election to a second term last month, Federal Reserve policymakers including Chair Jerome Powell have said it is too soon to factor in the U.S. president-elect's yet-to-be-detailed policies into forecasts. But eight years ago Powell as a Fed governor joined the majority of his colleagues in doing just that, meeting records show, bumping up estimates for economic momentum and interest rates to reflect the expected effect of Trump’s tax cuts and other policies. So it may not be all that surprising that a growth upgrade for next year may be back in the cards again this week when Fed policymakers gather to deliver what is expected to be a third interest rate cut and to update their forecasts for growth, unemployment and inflation.
