Local business leaders and officials on Tuesday gave a key Federal Reserve Bank official their street-level perspective on the U.S. economy as it enters its 121st consecutive month of expansion.
The panel discussions with Raphael Bostic, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, were part of the central bank’s “Fed Listens” initiative to give policymakers a better idea of how high-level decisions affect everyday Americans.
Bostic said the bank is achieving its dual mandate of stable prices and full employment – inflation is at 2% and unemployment is at 3.7% – but that many people are unaware of the Fed’s policy-making role.
“I am continually struck by messages of confusion and uncertainty and a real lack of clarity on what the Fed is doing,” said Bostic, who was accompanied by Fed Board of Governors member Michelle Bowman. “And that tells me there are some real questions that we have to ask about are our targets understandable and clear to people.”