Atlanta Fed President Dennis Lockhart said in an interview to CNBC that he was surprised how much the stronger dollar seemed to be impacting the home economy.
Lockhart said that at first he had downplayed the
dollar's surge as a factor because the U.S. economy was not
export-driven.
But now "the impact of the dollar is something I have
upgraded in terms of importance," he said. The stronger dollar "is a
doubt, a question mark."
Although Lockhart doesn't consider that the
impact from the strong dollar would be "terribly significant," it could
have "some dampening effect," he said.
Lockhart said the first quarter
growth rate looked "very soft," but added that it was likely
"transitory."
He reiterated that he sees the first interest rate hike coming "mid-year or a little bit later."
