US Fed sets course for milder interest-rate rise in February

Federal Reserve officials could begin weighing whether and when to pause interest rate increases this spring

- Nick Timiraos

Federal Reserve officials are preparing to slow interest-rate increases for the second straight meeting and debate to raise them after gaining more confidence inflation will ease further this year.

They could begin deliberating at the Jan. 31-Feb.1gathering how much more softening in labor demand, spending and inflation they would need to see before pausing rate rises this spring.

In recent public statements and interviews, Fed officials have said slowing the pace of rate increases to a more traditional quarter percentage point would give them more time to assess the impact of their increases so far as they determine where to stop.

Officials called attention to how it takes time for the full effect of higher rates to cool economic activity when they stepped down to a half-point rate rise in December, following four consecutive increases of 0.75 point.

"And that logic is very applicable today," said Fed Vice Chair Lael Brainard in remarks last week. Raising rates in smaller increments "gives us the ability to absorb more data...and probably better land at a sufficiently restrictive level."

To combat high inflation last year, the Fed reeled off the most rapid series of rate rises since the early 1980s, raising its benchmark federal-funds rate by 4.25 percentage points. A quarter-point increase next month would bring the rate to a range between 4.5% and 4.75%.