Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond President Jeffrey Lacker said Thursday it will be challenging for the Fed to withdraw fiscal stimulus and avoid inflation in the United States.
Lacker warned that the Federal Reserve's balance sheet will have to be unwound in the future to avoid increased inflation, and reiterated that price stability is the Fed's key responsibility.
Speaking in Charleston, South Carolina, Lacker said recent efforts by the U.S. Treasury to stimulate private investment in banks will be difficult to accomplish, until the government stops intervening in financial institutions.
Nevertheless, he said government plans, such as the Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility (TALF), to lift toxic assets from banks' balance sheets are essential to restore confidence.
Lacker defended the practice of mark-to-market accounting, which values assets based on the active market. He said the practice is more flexible than many think, and has had a positive effect by providing the speedy recognition of financial losses.
The biggest problem is that mark-to-market doesn't apply to bank accrual books, he said.
By Megan Ainscow and edited by Sarah Sussman
©CEP News Ltd. 2009