speeches · February 27, 2020
Regional President Speech
James Bullard · President
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From the President
Coronavirus and the U.S. Economy
February 28, 2020
Presentation (pdf) | Press Release | Photos
St. Louis Fed President James Bullard said the coronavirus may temporarily slow global
economic growth, but the Federal Open Market Committee is in a good position because of
previous policy rate cuts designed to insure the U.S. economy against adverse shocks.
“Longer-term U.S. interest rates have been driven lower by a global �ight to safety, likely
bene�ting the U.S. economy,” he said during a presentation to the Fort Smith Regional
Chamber of Commerce in Fort Smith, Ark.
“Further policy rate cuts are a possibility if a global pandemic actually develops with health
effects approaching the scale of ordinary in�uenza, but this is not the baseline case at this
time,” he said.
The presentation was part of a two-day visit to the city in northwestern Arkansas, which is in
the St. Louis Fed’s District.
As part of the visit, Bullard toured the U. S. Marshals Museum, which is scheduled to open in
2021. The museum will tell the history of the 230-year-old U.S. Marshals Service, the nation’s
oldest federal law enforcement agency.
Bullard also visited ArcBest, a freight and logistics company, and met with members of the
Fort Smith Regional Council, a group of area leaders who are focused on economic
development.
Bullard meets regularly with business and civic groups in the four zones that make up the St.
Louis Fed’s District to share insight on the U.S. economy, as well as gather views from Main
Street. Fort Smith is in the Little Rock Zone.
Photos:
On Friday, Feb. 28, 2020, St. Louis Fed President James Bullard discussed the effect of the new coronavirus on
the global and U.S. economies during a presentation to the Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce, in Fort
Smith, Ark. Speaking at events like this is part of the St. Louis Fed’s ongoing transparency and outreach efforts
across its seven-state Federal Reserve District. Download High Resolution Photo
St. Louis Fed President James Bullard (center) on Friday, Feb. 28, 2020, talked with Fort Smith, Ark., Mayor
George McGill (left) and Tim Allen, president and CEO of the Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce.
Bullard gave a presentation to the chamber during a two-day visit to the northwestern Arkansas city. Bullard
meets regularly with groups throughout the St. Louis Fed’s District to share insight on the U.S. economy, as
well as gather views from Main Street.
Download High Resolution Photo
St. Louis Fed President James Bullard (center), toured the United States Marshals Museum in Fort Smith, Ark.,
on Feb. 27, 2020. Set to open in 2021, the museum will tell the history of the 230-year-old U.S. Marshals
Service, the nation’s oldest federal law enforcement agency. Patrick Weeks, president and CEO of the museum,
and Alice Alt, president of the museum foundation, joined Bullard in the museum. The tour was part of a twoday visit to the northwestern Arkansas city, which is in the St. Louis Fed’s District. Bullard regularly visits
communities like Fort Smith to interact with local business and civic leaders and better understand local
economic conditions.
Download High Resolution Photo
On Feb. 27, 2020, St. Louis Fed President James Bullard (far left) met with members of the Fort Smith
Regional Council, a group of area leaders who are focused on economic development in the region that
includes the northwestern Arkansas city. Meeting with Bullard were, from left, Jim Walcott, executive chairman
of custom printing company Weldon, Williams and Lick; Roger Holroyd, president of Arvest Bank in Fort Smith;
Kyle Parker, CEO of the Arkansas Colleges of Health Education; Terisa Riley, chancellor of the University of
Arkansas-Fort Smith; and Samuel Sicard, president and CEO of the First National Bank of Fort Smith.
Interacting with local business and civic leaders in communities like Fort Smith gives Bullard a better
understanding of the economic dynamism in the Eighth District.
Download High Resolution Photo
Cite this document
APA
James Bullard (2020, February 27). Regional President Speech. Speeches, Federal Reserve. https://whenthefedspeaks.com/doc/regional_speeche_20200228_james_bullard
BibTeX
@misc{wtfs_regional_speeche_20200228_james_bullard,
author = {James Bullard},
title = {Regional President Speech},
year = {2020},
month = {Feb},
howpublished = {Speeches, Federal Reserve},
url = {https://whenthefedspeaks.com/doc/regional_speeche_20200228_james_bullard},
note = {Retrieved via When the Fed Speaks corpus}
}