Chicago Fed's Austan Goolsbee on Interest Rates

(Reuters) – Chicago Federal Reserve Bank's Austan Goolsbee stated that he anticipates a series of interest-rate cuts over the next year to year and a half. He emphasized that inflation is nearing the Fed’s 2% goal and that the economy is almost at full employment, which the Fed aims to maintain.

> "Over a 12-18 month period, I think we are going to gradually, whatever word you want to use, move to a steady state" on the policy rate, Goolsbee mentioned during a CNBC interview.

Goolsbee also noted broad consensus among policymakers for a significant reduction in rates over that timeframe. He warned that upcoming meetings might lead to close calls in policy decisions as central bankers navigate through conflicting data.