Raising rates in December was the right thing to do, given the improvement in the labor market, San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank President John Williams said. Further and gradual rate increases "make sense" he said, although the exact timing of rate hikes will depend on the economic data.
U.S. domestic demand is strong, he said, and is offsetting weakness in exports and manufacturing that is an effect of weak growth abroad, particularly in China.
(Reporting by Ann Saphir; Editing by Meredith Mazzilli)
