Williams in New York

  • Fed has reached its objectives as well as it ever has

  • Labor is quite strong and healthy

  • Expects US economy to continue to grow at strong rate of 2.5% next year, making it the longest US expansion ever

  • Expects price inflation to move a bit above 2%, no sign it will rise too high

  • US economy overall in really good shape

  • Expect further gradual rate hikes will be appropriate

These are some hawkish comments. Williams hasn't really picked up the same tone as a few other Fed members, who have grown incrementally more cautions. One exception might be his not that inflation isn't rising and there are no signs of a pickup. Yet at the same time he's talking about more gradual hikes.