Federal Reserve Watch for Feb. 6: Jefferson Says 'Cautiously Optimistic' About US Economic Outlook

02:45 PM EST, 02/06/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Fed Vice Chair Philip Jefferson (voter) said that he supported the FOMC's decision to hold the policy rate steady at its January meeting and is "cautiously optimistic" about the outlook for the US economy, adding that he sees the current policy rate as already close to neutral.

Recent comments of note:

(Feb. 5) Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic (nonvoter) said that he believes the FOMC should hold rates steady in 2026 and that it will take time for Kevin Warsh, the nominee to replace Jerome Powell as Fed share, to convince a majority of the committee that rates need to be lower.

(Feb. 4) Fed Vice Chair for Supervision Lisa Cook (voter) said that she believes that the balance of risks is tilted more toward elevated inflation and that the FOMC cannot lose sight of its mandate to lower the pace of price growth. She added that the 75 basis points of rate reduction at the end of 2025 should help support the labor market.

(Feb. 3) Richmond Fed President Tom Barkin (nonvoter) said that the US economy remains resilient, with last year's rate cuts supporting the labor market, but added that the FOMC is ready to respond if conditions deteriorate.

(Feb. 2) Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic (nonvoter) said that there is time to be patient when making rate decisions, adding that he does not see the current monetary policy stance as overly restrictive but rather only 1-2 cuts above neutral. He noted that data over the next few months will remain volatile due to the government shutdown.

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