Policymakers at the Federal Reserve were sharply split last month over whether to trim the U.S. central bank's massive bond-buying stimulus, although they ultimately chose not to, a top Fed official said on Friday.
The decision, by 17 top Fed officials after two days of discussion led by Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke, was a "close call," Dallas Fed President Richard Fisher told a group of business leaders at the Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Fisher's remarks are unusual because Fed policymakers typically avoid characterizing the overall tone of discussion at the policy-making table, sticking more to their personal views.
Fisher himself argued for reducing the Fed's $85-billion-a-month bond-buying program.
Source: Reuters
