Atlanta Federal Reserve President Dennis Lockhart expects the Federal Reserve to hike interest-rate as early as April.
"In my opinion, there is sufficient momentum evidenced by the economic data to justify a further step at one of the coming meetings, possibly as early as the meeting scheduled for end of April," Lockhart said in a speech to a business group in Savannah, Georgia.
He said that the Federal Open Market Committee's decision to keep the interest rate target unchanged last week was sensible.
"Short of some big shock that turns consumer psychology on its head, I see no reason why consumer spending growth should not continue. I think the conditions supporting this engine of economic momentum are likely to hold steady," Lockhart said.
Lockhart became the second top U.S. central banker after San Francisco Fed President John Williams who have commented about the possibility of an April rate hike.
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May 22, 2026 14:46 ET Minutes of the latest Fed policy session was the highlight of the week along with survey data on the U.S. housing market. In Europe, survey data signaled the trends in the euro area private sector. Further, consumer price inflation data from the U.K. was in focus. In Asia, various economic indicators from China drew attention to the health of the economy.