New York (CNN Business) The Federal Reserve plans to remain "patient" — to use Fed chair Jerome Powell's new favorite word — when it comes to interest rates. But when the central bank does make a move, Stifel's chief economist thinks it might lower rates, not raise them. Lindsey Piegza believes that the lack of any major inflation pressures in the United States, combined with domestic political risks and worries about the global economy, justify the Fed's stance right now. He said there have been "some crosscurrents and conflicting signals" about the economy in recent months. Piegza wrote in a recent report that the Fed could be on the sidelines "indefinitely" and that the central bank "has thrown in the towel" on any future rate hikes.

Source: CNN February 26, 2019 18:11 UTC