WEBVTT - Bloomberg's Matthews on Janet Yellen's Testimony (Audio)

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<v Speaker 1>This is taking Stock. I'm pim Fox. My co host

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<v Speaker 1>Kathleen Hayes joining us now in the studio. Steve Matthews,

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<v Speaker 1>Bloomberg US economy reporter, will be speaking with him having

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<v Speaker 1>to do with Janet Yellen's testimony before Congress, and also

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<v Speaker 1>Dave Wilson, Bloomberg Stocks commis. Dave, I want to begin

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<v Speaker 1>with you and just give us an update on where

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<v Speaker 1>stocks are trading and the gains that seemed to be

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<v Speaker 1>at least holding on for the moment. But we're right

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<v Speaker 1>around that exactly. I mean, we've kind of settled in.

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<v Speaker 1>It's almost like people kind of waiting. You know, we're

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<v Speaker 1>a couple of days away from that vote on whether

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<v Speaker 1>the UK stays in the European Union or not, so

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<v Speaker 1>that gives people a reason to kind of step back.

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<v Speaker 1>And it's not like when you go through the main

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<v Speaker 1>industry groups in the SMP five hundred, you really see

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<v Speaker 1>sort of any kind of overall tone to what's going on.

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<v Speaker 1>Though I will point out phone companies and utilities are

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<v Speaker 1>doing relatively well, and those are the more interest rate

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<v Speaker 1>sensitive areas of the market. Uh, you look what's down

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<v Speaker 1>and it's sort of a grab bag healthcare. Uh, you

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<v Speaker 1>know the consumer discretionary category, which is media companies, retailers

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<v Speaker 1>and you name it, and raw material producers. So you know,

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<v Speaker 1>it's not like you're really getting a whole lot of

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<v Speaker 1>a message out of today's strating, except people kind of

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<v Speaker 1>hanging on and waiting for things to unfold as the

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<v Speaker 1>week progresses. Well. Uh, the bond cket actually halting its

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<v Speaker 1>recent sell off. It's pretty flat now taking some solace,

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<v Speaker 1>it seems. From Janet Yellin's testimony to the Senate Banking

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<v Speaker 1>Committee today it's a two day testimony. Today, she seemed

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<v Speaker 1>to indicate that maybe beneficials are even a little more

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<v Speaker 1>cautious about going to the next interest rate hike. Let's

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<v Speaker 1>go to Steve Matthews. Now he joins us from our

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<v Speaker 1>Atlanta Bloomberg News bureau where he is one of our

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<v Speaker 1>top Federal Reserve reporters. So Steve, our colleague Chris Condon,

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<v Speaker 1>who wrote the story on Janney Allen's testimony, emphasized that

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<v Speaker 1>Janet used the word weather a conditional word, not saying

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<v Speaker 1>when the Fed would raise rates, but saying it depends

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<v Speaker 1>on whether the economy improves or not. You know, Kathleen

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<v Speaker 1>I totally agree with your analysis. Uh. The Yelling's testimony

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<v Speaker 1>today was was definitely on the dovish side. A couple

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<v Speaker 1>of years ago when when she was being considered for

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<v Speaker 1>the FED chairmanship, there was also taught that Larry Summers,

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<v Speaker 1>the former Treasury Secretary, could be considered as FED chair

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<v Speaker 1>And it turns out we we we we don't have Summers,

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<v Speaker 1>but Yelling has adopted some of what Summers is saying

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<v Speaker 1>about secular stagnation. She believes the economy is stuck in

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<v Speaker 1>a low growth rut and that we could be in

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<v Speaker 1>a low growth, low product productivity regime for some period

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<v Speaker 1>of time, and in that those conditions you're going to

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<v Speaker 1>have of, you know, very low interest rates for a

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<v Speaker 1>long period of time. And you know, that was kind

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<v Speaker 1>of the takeaway she talked about in her prepared testimony.

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<v Speaker 1>She can't kind of gave a nod out to prominent

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<v Speaker 1>economists that she didn't mention believing that the growth outlook

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<v Speaker 1>is really dim. But that was an evident UH mentioned

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<v Speaker 1>evidently referring to Larry Summers or to Robert Gordon, the

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<v Speaker 1>Northwestern professor who has been a proponent of that same view.

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<v Speaker 1>So it was very interesting, Kathleen. She also spoke specifically

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<v Speaker 1>about the income of the meeting income of African American households,

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<v Speaker 1>saying that that is still well below the median income

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<v Speaker 1>of other US households. Is that also aimed at a

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<v Speaker 1>specific audience, that Congressional Budget Office maybe having a role there. Well, actually,

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<v Speaker 1>that's a good point of the PM, that the FED

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<v Speaker 1>isn't responsible but for the these income disparities, but certainly

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<v Speaker 1>keeping the economy going and jobs growing is And she

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<v Speaker 1>answered that, Steve, didn't she in answer to a question. Course,

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<v Speaker 1>she's a labor market economist. She's very sympathetic to these things,

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<v Speaker 1>maybe even more than some other FED chairs. What what's

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<v Speaker 1>the significance of that to you? Not there's a question,

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<v Speaker 1>but how she answered it. Do we get any light

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<v Speaker 1>UNFED policy. I'm not sure it means a lot for

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<v Speaker 1>FED policy other than the fact that she is very

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<v Speaker 1>worried about various groups. And she specifically said she was

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<v Speaker 1>worried about unemployment among African Americans, for example. And to

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<v Speaker 1>the extent that you're worried about individual groups, I think

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<v Speaker 1>that would say that you would err on the side

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<v Speaker 1>of being easy as opposed to aggressive in terms of

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<v Speaker 1>raising interest rates, but she made the larger point that uh,

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<v Speaker 1>and she didn't quite put it this way, but she

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<v Speaker 1>could have turned to the Congress and say, why are

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<v Speaker 1>you looking at me? It's not my issue, it's your issue, um,

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<v Speaker 1>because it's really fiscal policy that deals with UH, job

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<v Speaker 1>training and in the ability of people to get jobs.

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<v Speaker 1>And she made the point that what's happening is you

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<v Speaker 1>have more technology which is requiring more skills in the workforce,

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<v Speaker 1>and globalization, and those are trends that Congress needs to address,

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<v Speaker 1>not the Fed. Okay. Dave Wilson for The Stock Market,

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<v Speaker 1>did Janet Yellen answer their question today? Well, you look

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<v Speaker 1>at the way that the trading is gone, and it's

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<v Speaker 1>not like you can really take away sort of an

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<v Speaker 1>overall direction based on what she had to say. I mean,

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<v Speaker 1>SMP five basically fluctuated within an eight point range while

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<v Speaker 1>she was speaking and answering questions. Went from the low

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<v Speaker 1>of the day to the high of the day. It's

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<v Speaker 1>just trying to keep creep back towards the high at

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<v Speaker 1>this point, but nothing really conclusive. I mean, there's plenty

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<v Speaker 1>coming down the line. It's going to get investors attention,

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<v Speaker 1>and that's why I've got you, Dave Wilson. Our stocks

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<v Speaker 1>there to keep us on top of all of that,

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<v Speaker 1>and our Steve Matthews, a regular on taking stock on

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<v Speaker 1>Bloomberg Radio, but a reserve correspondent joining us from our

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<v Speaker 1>Atlanta bureau today, I'm Kathleen Hayes. Along with Pim Fox,

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<v Speaker 1>We're taking stock on Bloomberg Radio.