Comments from Mester on Bloomberg TV
- Consumer is driving things but business side is weaker
- Says she hasn't marked down her 2020 forecast because of coronavirus but says it's a new risk
- Expect virus to weaken China in Q1
- Phase one trade deal has removed uncertainty but it's too early to say how much of a pickup will be
- Economy appears to be growing around trend, around 2%
- Policy is in a good place right now, we have a good period to evaluate right now
- The outlook is still good, notwithstanding coronavirus risk
- Treasury bill purchases targeting repo market are not QE
- Says she is not a fan of negative interest rates
There's nothing groundbreaking here. Everyone is watching the virus closely and trying to understand the impact on China and global growth.