By Howard Schneider WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said on Monday he was inclined toward a cut in the benchmark interest rate at the central bank's Dec. 17-18 meeting as policy remained restrictive enough to keep putting downward pressure on inflation,

Powell just a week after the meeting said the economy was "not sending any signals that we need to be in a hurry to lower rates."

"Unemployment is going to come down, growth is going to come up, inflation is going to come up," Deutsche Bank's chief US economist said.

When accounting for the various policies, Deutsche Bank estimates the US economy will grow at an annualized rate of 2.5% in 2025, with the rate of unemployment ending the year at 3.9% (down from 4.1% currently) and the Fed's preferred inflation gauge, "core" Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE), ending 2025 at 2.6%.

Kent, the mortgage banker, noted that Fed rate cuts have more impact on credit cards, car loans, and other short-term borrowing than on business and mortgage loans. If mortgage rates stay high, he expects more buyers will ask for adjustable-rate loans, as if betting that rates will fall over the next few years.

The Federal Reserve’s second consecutive key rate cut could mean more than just lower borrowing costs for the average consumer — state and local governments stand to benefit, too. Lower interest rates may bring changes for housing development,

A top Federal Reserve official says he is leaning toward supporting an interest rate cut when the Fed meets in two weeks but that evidence of persistent inflation before then could cause him to change

Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said Monday he is anticipating an interest rate cut in December but is concerned about recent trends on inflation that could change his mind.

The central bank governor said that while the recent uptick in inflation does raise concerns that price growth could get stuck above the Fed’s 2% goal, he doesn’t want to overreact.