By Ann Saphir and Jonathan Spicer

(Reuters) – The beginning of the end of the Federal Reserve’s massive bond-buying program might come sooner than many investors think if recent gains in the U.S. labour market do not prove fleeting.

Much will depend on how economic data, which has given mixed signals for growth prospects, develops over the next few months. Reports on job growth in particular will go a long way in helping Fed officials determine whether the time is right to trim the pace of their $85 billion in monthly purchases.

By Ann Saphir and Jonathan Spicer

(Reuters) – The beginning of the end of the Federal Reserve’s massive bond-buying program might come sooner than many investors think if recent gains in the U.S. labor market do not prove fleeting.

Much will depend on how economic data, which has given mixed signals for growth prospects, develops over the next few months. Reports on job growth in particular will go a long way in helping Fed officials determine whether the time is right to trim the pace of their $85 billion in monthly purchases.

CHICAGO (Reuters) – The Federal Reserve has not done enough to lower U.S. borrowing costs to boost economic growth, a top Fed official said on Friday, citing his outlook for overly low inflation and overly high unemployment over the next two to three years.

Since the Great Recession, workers and businesses are seeking safer assets, even as the supply of assets perceived as safe dwindles, Minneapolis Fed President Narayana Kocherlakota told a group convened by the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.