Beth Hammock

For today, it's reasonable to keep rates steady given the uncertainties around the economic outlook.

But if recent trends continue, it may soon be appropriate to act.

My preference also would have been to adjust the statement to

to not be as closely aligned with language that has been associated with the presumption that the next move will be a cut.

Rather than trying to fine-tune the funds rate, I'd prefer to err on the side of patience.

as we assess the impact of recent rate reductions and monitor how the economy performs.

Based on my forecast,

we could be on hold for quite some time.