U.S. stock-index futures saw losses deepen Friday morning as St. Louis Federal Reserve President Jim Bullard said, during a CNBC interview, that the central bank could lift benchmark interest rates, which currently stand at a range between 0% and 0.25%, as early as late next year. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average were down more than 300 points, or 1%, at 33,366, those for the S&P 500 index were off 0.8% at 4,180, while Nasdaq-100 futures were trading 0.6% lower at 14,068. The Dow and S&P 500 are headed for weekly declines, while the Nasdaq Composite Index was headed for a weekly gain after the Federal Reserve delivered its most recent policy update on Wednesday. Bullard’s comments mark the first from a Fed member since the conclusion of its rate-setting meeting. Bullard is not currently a member of the Federal Open Market Committee, which helps to set rates. Bullard told CNBC that he thinks “it’s natural that we’ve tilted a little more hawkish to contain inflationary pressures.” He also said that comments from Fed Chairman Jerome Powell have opened the door to tapering the Fed’s $120 billion montly asset-purchases, which include $40 billion of mortgage-backed securities.
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