NEW YORK: A Federal Reserve interest rate hike next month seems less appropriate given the threat posed to the U.S. economy by recent market turmoil, an influential Fed official said on Wednesday in the clearest sign that fears of a Chinese slowdown are influencing U.S. monetary policy.
New York Fed President William Dudley said the prospect of a September rate hike "seems less compelling" than it was only weeks ago. However he warned about overreacting to "short-term" market moves, and left the door ajar to raising rates when the U.S. central bank holds a policy meeting on Sept. 16-17.