Fed's Lockhart says ready to support Sept. rate hike -WSJ
(Adds quote, context on Lockhart's views)
WASHINGTON, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Atlanta Federal Reserve President Dennis Lockhart has said it would take "significant deterioration" in the U.S. economy for him to not support a rate hike in September, according to the Wall Street Journal.
"I think there is a high bar right now to not acting, speaking for myself," Lockhart said in an interview with the newspaper published on Tuesday. "It will take a significant deterioration in the economic picture for me to be disinclined to move ahead."
His comments add weight to the likelihood of a September rate hike. Lockhart is considered a centrist on the Fed's policy-setting Federal Open Market Committee, and is one of the five regional bank presidents who has a vote on the panel this year.
He had been concerned about the state of the labor market throughout the start of the year, but by early May had indicated a September rate hike was likely. His remarks to the Journal were more emphatic.
"My priors going into the (September) meeting as of today are that the economy is ready and it is an appropriate time to make a change," he said.
(Reporting by Howard Schneider; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
