U.S. economy to grow 2.5 percent this year: Fed's Evans

HONG KONG (Reuters) - The U.S. economy is expected to grow by 2.5 percent in 2013, improving to 3.5 percent growth in 2014, Chicago Fed President Charles Evans said at the Asian Financial Forum in Hong Kong.

Evans also forecast the U.S. unemployment rate would be 7.4 percent this year, easing to about 7 percent in 2014.

Last month, Fed policymakers said they expected GDP growth of between 2.3 and 3.0 percent this year, and 3-3.5 percent in 2014.

(Reporting By Clement Tan; Writing by Anne Marie Roantree; Editing by Daniel Magnowski)