IMF says risks higher if Fed hikes rate early

An early interest rate hike by the US Federal Reserve would involve higher risks than would waiting a bit longer, the chief economist of the International Monetary Fund told AFP. "I'm not sure that the risks of acting are gigantic, but they're certainly higher," said Maurice Obstfeld, in an interview. The Fed has made clear that it could undertake its first rate hike in more than nine years as soon as December, a move it has repeatedly put off as US and global economic growth has remained tepid.