Rate liftoff still not likely until second half of 2015: Fed's Lockhart

(Reuters) - Federal Reserve officials on Friday said U.S. labor markets remain slack and inflation unlikely to accelerate, damping any sense that recent strong jobs and other data may prompt the central bank to raise interest rates sooner than expected.

Fed Not in the ‘Danger Zone’ as Exit Approaches, Lockhart Says

Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta President Dennis Lockhart said he thinks the central bank can handle its exit from quantitative easing when the time comes, despite uncertainty caused by a balance sheet close to $4 trillion.