Goldman Sachs chief economist: The Federal Reserve is expected to continue making data-driven decisions and will not be biased by survey pressure.

Mars Finance reported on January 12th that Goldman Sachs Chief Economist Jan Hatzius stated on Monday that the threat of criminal prosecution against the Federal Reserve Chairman will exacerbate market concerns about the central bank's independence, but he expects the Fed to continue making policy decisions based on economic data. Hatzius stated at the 2026 Goldman Sachs Global Strategy Conference: "Clearly, concerns about a potential blow to the Fed's independence are increasing, and the latest news regarding the criminal investigation of Chairman Powell has further reinforced these concerns." He added, "I have no doubt that Powell will continue to make decisions based on economic data for the remainder of his term, and will not be swayed in any direction by pressure—whether it's raising or lowering interest rates, it will follow data guidance." (Jinshi)