Fed's Rosengren: Higher gas prices may hurt growth (by Greg Robb)

WASHINGON (MarketWatch) - Rising energy prices are a concern not that they will lead to higher inflation but that they will subtract from household income and thus weaken the economy, said Eric Rosengren, the president of the Boston Federal Reserve Bank on Friday. Rosengren said the lasting effect on energy prices on overall inflation "has been surprisingly small in recent years." The surge in oil prices in mid-2008 were followed by significant declines in core inflation, he noted. Rosengren said the Fed's innovative monetary policy has not been inflationary. "It has been more than two years since the Fed's balance sheet expanded dramatically. Sine that time core inflation has fallen to something like 50 year lows, he said. Rosengren is not a voting FOMC member this year. He spoke to an event hosted by the Connecticut Mortgage Bankers Association.