1 00:00:02,759 --> 00:00:07,240 Speaker 1: Bloomberg Audio Studios, podcasts, radio news. 2 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:10,080 Speaker 2: So here's the LCENUS this morning, try to increase an 3 00:00:10,080 --> 00:00:12,560 Speaker 2: expectation for FED rate cuts. The view from the former 4 00:00:12,600 --> 00:00:15,720 Speaker 2: Boston FED president Eric Rosenngrant looks like this. He writes, 5 00:00:15,760 --> 00:00:18,479 Speaker 2: the FED maybe slow to react give an uncertainty around 6 00:00:18,520 --> 00:00:21,479 Speaker 2: the trade policy and the likely significant impact on reported 7 00:00:21,520 --> 00:00:25,239 Speaker 2: inflation over the next six months. Eric, Welcome to the program, sir, 8 00:00:25,680 --> 00:00:28,800 Speaker 2: lucky for us to lean on your experience. How misplaced 9 00:00:28,880 --> 00:00:31,840 Speaker 2: or well placed is that bet on that FED cutting rates. 10 00:00:33,600 --> 00:00:36,120 Speaker 1: I think it's a very challenging environment for the FED. 11 00:00:36,960 --> 00:00:39,400 Speaker 1: First of all, while the tariffs have come on and 12 00:00:39,440 --> 00:00:43,000 Speaker 1: are quite significant, the retaliation is just being announced now. 13 00:00:43,600 --> 00:00:46,879 Speaker 1: We had China today, but Europe is certainly going to 14 00:00:46,880 --> 00:00:51,400 Speaker 1: be retaliating as well. The question is how long are 15 00:00:51,400 --> 00:00:54,840 Speaker 1: these tariffs going to be in place. The administration has 16 00:00:55,000 --> 00:00:58,560 Speaker 1: been pretty unclear as to the purpose of the tariffs. 17 00:00:59,040 --> 00:01:02,800 Speaker 1: If the purpose is to raise taxes and bring manufacturing here, 18 00:01:03,040 --> 00:01:06,520 Speaker 1: the tariffs need to be permanent. If the purpose is 19 00:01:06,760 --> 00:01:11,319 Speaker 1: a negotiating tool, then it's going to be temporary. So 20 00:01:11,560 --> 00:01:14,600 Speaker 1: the FED, first of all, has to be concerned that 21 00:01:15,520 --> 00:01:18,680 Speaker 1: the shock that's occurred could be offset pretty quickly by 22 00:01:18,800 --> 00:01:22,680 Speaker 1: If tariffs are a serious policy mistake, the most efficient 23 00:01:22,720 --> 00:01:25,160 Speaker 1: way to address that problem is for the tariffs to 24 00:01:25,200 --> 00:01:28,640 Speaker 1: be taken off. In the event that the tariffs are 25 00:01:28,680 --> 00:01:33,560 Speaker 1: kept on and look more permanent, then you have an 26 00:01:33,680 --> 00:01:36,440 Speaker 1: environment where both the unemployment rate is going to go 27 00:01:36,560 --> 00:01:39,880 Speaker 1: up and the inflation rate's going to go up. The 28 00:01:39,920 --> 00:01:43,480 Speaker 1: inflation rate is probably going to start showing in the 29 00:01:43,520 --> 00:01:48,360 Speaker 1: next couple of months the effect of tariffs. It's a tax, 30 00:01:48,440 --> 00:01:52,080 Speaker 1: it's going to go through relatively quickly. There's some goods 31 00:01:52,080 --> 00:01:56,040 Speaker 1: that are probably already being repriced in reflection of the 32 00:01:56,080 --> 00:01:59,760 Speaker 1: tariff changes. The unemployment rate effect is likely to be 33 00:01:59,800 --> 00:02:03,680 Speaker 1: a little bit more slow moving. So, given the uncertainty 34 00:02:04,000 --> 00:02:08,720 Speaker 1: around what the policy actually is, and given the fact 35 00:02:08,720 --> 00:02:11,080 Speaker 1: that the first impulse is likely to be on the 36 00:02:11,120 --> 00:02:13,880 Speaker 1: inflation side, I think the FED is going to be 37 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:17,880 Speaker 1: very reluctant to move very quickly if it looks like 38 00:02:18,000 --> 00:02:20,760 Speaker 1: we are actually going to go into a global recession 39 00:02:20,800 --> 00:02:24,240 Speaker 1: where the unemployment rate in the United States goes up 40 00:02:24,320 --> 00:02:28,000 Speaker 1: quite significantly. And that's a situation that the FED obviously 41 00:02:28,080 --> 00:02:31,560 Speaker 1: has to react to. But hopefully there are other off ramps, 42 00:02:31,560 --> 00:02:37,959 Speaker 1: including changes in fiscal policy regarding tariffs that will avoid that. 43 00:02:38,440 --> 00:02:40,320 Speaker 1: I think the last thing that FED wants to do 44 00:02:40,760 --> 00:02:43,960 Speaker 1: is perpetuate a view that inflation is going to be 45 00:02:44,040 --> 00:02:48,040 Speaker 1: tolerated over three percent. I think it's quite likely that 46 00:02:48,040 --> 00:02:50,440 Speaker 1: we're going to see a half percent increase in core 47 00:02:50,520 --> 00:02:53,560 Speaker 1: PCE over the course of this year, and that puts 48 00:02:53,600 --> 00:02:56,560 Speaker 1: US over three percent, puts US at three point three percent. 49 00:02:57,360 --> 00:03:00,920 Speaker 1: That's not inflation rate consistent with the Fed's time, and 50 00:03:01,080 --> 00:03:03,640 Speaker 1: I think it's going to make the FED very reluctant 51 00:03:03,680 --> 00:03:06,600 Speaker 1: to move quickly to address some of the concerns that 52 00:03:06,639 --> 00:03:10,320 Speaker 1: are occurring in financial markets and are likely to be 53 00:03:10,360 --> 00:03:14,160 Speaker 1: occurring in unemployment rate over time. Just quickly. Here, I'm 54 00:03:14,240 --> 00:03:16,440 Speaker 1: wondering if you think then the FED is destined to 55 00:03:16,480 --> 00:03:19,280 Speaker 1: be late and if they cut much more on the 56 00:03:19,320 --> 00:03:24,359 Speaker 1: back end, if the unemployment rate starts going up dramatically, 57 00:03:24,360 --> 00:03:27,760 Speaker 1: it'll cut a lot in the end. That's a really 58 00:03:27,760 --> 00:03:30,760 Speaker 1: bad outcome if it gets to that point. But I 59 00:03:30,800 --> 00:03:35,520 Speaker 1: think they're going to move slowly, gradually and reluctantly. And 60 00:03:35,840 --> 00:03:39,000 Speaker 1: when they move, if it's because the global economy is 61 00:03:39,040 --> 00:03:42,760 Speaker 1: going into a deep recession, I think it will have 62 00:03:42,920 --> 00:03:47,800 Speaker 1: to then start moving quickly to bring interest rates down. Unfortunately, 63 00:03:47,880 --> 00:03:51,320 Speaker 1: it's unlikely to immediately be able to offset the nature 64 00:03:51,360 --> 00:03:55,240 Speaker 1: of the problem, which is bad tariffs. And one thing 65 00:03:55,320 --> 00:03:58,920 Speaker 1: people are not talking about is developing countries are likely 66 00:03:58,960 --> 00:04:03,920 Speaker 1: to be experience and seeing a financial crisis. Many of 67 00:04:03,960 --> 00:04:07,200 Speaker 1: the poorest countries in the world are getting the highest 68 00:04:07,240 --> 00:04:11,480 Speaker 1: earths from the United States, and that could exacerbate the 69 00:04:11,520 --> 00:04:13,760 Speaker 1: international composition of what's going on. 70 00:04:14,080 --> 00:04:15,720 Speaker 2: That's the last thing we want to say this morning, 71 00:04:15,840 --> 00:04:18,159 Speaker 2: that's for sure. Eric, appreciate you jumping on this morning. 72 00:04:18,160 --> 00:04:20,720 Speaker 2: Thank you, sir. The Boston Fed president, the former Boston 73 00:04:20,720 --> 00:04:22,680 Speaker 2: Fed president there, Eric Rosengrant