Below is an excerpt taken from the transcript of FED Chairman, Ben Bernanke's opening remarks at the June 19th press conference.
Although the Committee left the pace of purchases unchanged at today’s meeting, it has
stated that it may vary the pace of purchases as economic conditions evolve. Any such change
would reflect the incoming data and their implications for the outlook, as well as the cumulative
progress made toward the Committee’s objectives since the program began in September. Going
forward, the economic outcomes that the Committee sees as most likely involve continuing gains
in labor markets, supported by moderate growth that picks up over the next several quarters as
the near-term restraint from fiscal policy and other headwinds diminishes. We also see inflation
moving back toward our 2 percent objective over time. If the incoming data are broadly
consistent with this forecast, the Committee currently anticipates that it would be appropriate to
moderate the monthly pace of purchases later this year; and if the subsequent data remain
broadly aligned with our current expectations for the economy, we would continue to reduce the
pace of purchases in measured steps through the first half of next year, ending purchases around
midyear. In this scenario, when asset purchases ultimately come to an end, the unemployment
rate would likely be in the vicinity of 7 percent, with solid economic growth supporting further
job gains—a substantial improvement from the 8.1 percent unemployment rate that prevailed
when the Committee announced this program.
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