BRIEF-Alerts from Fed Chair Powell press conference

* FED CHAIR POWELL SAYS MONETARY POLICY WILL CONTINUE TO DELIVER POWERFUL SUPPORT TO ECONOMY

* FED CHAIR POWELL SAYS IN RECENT MONTHS PACE OF IMPROVEMENT IN ECONOMY HAS MODERATED * FED CHAIR POWELL SAYS PATH AHEAD REMAINS HIGHLY UNCERTAIN

* POWELL: WILL NOT LOSE SIGHT OF MILLIONS OUT OF WORK * POWELL SAYS INFLATION REMAINS BELOW 2% OBJECTIVE

* POWELL: OVERALL INFLATION REMAINS BELOW LONG-RUN OBJECTIVE * POWELL SAYS OUTLOOK FOR ECONOMY IS UNCERTAIN, WILL DEPEND ON VIRUS

* POWELL: RECENT VACCINE NEWS VERY POSTIVE * POWELL: SURGE IN CASES IS PARTICULARLY CONCERNING

* POWELL SAYS NEXT FEW MONTHS ARE LIKELY TO BE VERY CHALLENGIN * POWELL: BELIEVES BALANCE SHEET INCREASE HAS SUPPORTED ECONOMY

* POWELL SAYS BELIEVE INCREASE IN BALANCE SHEET WILL ENSURE POLICY REMAINS ACCOMMODATIVE * POWELL SAYS INTEREST RATE AND BALANCE SHEET TOOLS PROVIDING POWERFUL SUPPORT TO ECONOMY, WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO

* POWELL SAYS CURRENT ECONOMY DOWNTURN MOST SEVERE OF OUR LIFETIMES * POWELL SAYS MAY TAKE CONTINUED SUPPORT FROM BOTH FISCAL, MONETARY POLICY FOR RECOVERY

* POWELL SAYS NOT GOING TO IDENTIFY 'SUBSTANTIAL PROGRESS' WITH SPECIFIC NUMBERS * POWELL: NEW GUIDANCE ON PURCHASES IS A POWERFUL MESSAGE

* POWELL SAYS INCREASING ASSET PURCHASES IS ADDING ACCOMMODATION * POWELL SAYS WILL GIVE GUIDANCE WELL IN ADVANCE OF ANY DECISION TO ACTUALLY TAPER

* POWELL SAYS CURRENT POLICY STANCE APPROPRIATE * POWELL SAYS FINANCIAL CONDITIONS ARE HIGHLY ACCOMMODATIVE

* POWELL: RATE SENSITIVE SECTORS ARE DOING WELL * POWELL SAYS WE HAVE FLEXIBILITY TO PROVIDE MORE ACCOMMODATION IF CIRCUMSTANCES SHIFT

* POWELL SAYS WE WILL CONTINUE TO USE OUR TOOLS TO SUPPORT THE ECONOMY FOR AS LONG AS IT TAKES UNTIL WELL AND TRULY DONE * POWELL: WILL CONTINUE UNTIL THE JOB IS WELL AND TRULY DONE

* POWELL SAYS ANY TIME WE FEEL LIKE ECONOMY COULD USE STRONGER ACCOMMODATION WE WOULD BE PREPARED TO PROVIDE IT * POWELL SAYS VIEWS ON BANK OF CANADA'S APPROACH IS MIXED, NOT HIGH ON LIST OF POSSIBILITIES

* POWELL SAYS THE CASE FOR FISCAL POLICY IS VERY VERY STRONG, WIDELY UNDERSTOOD * POWELL: THE CASE FOR FISCAL POLICY IS VERY STRONG

* POWELL: THERE IS A NEED FOR HOUSEHOLDS AND BUSINESSES TO HAVE FISCAL SUPPORT * POWELL SAYS THERE IS A NEED FOR HOUSEHOLDS AND BUSINESSES TO HAVE FISCAL SUPPORT; WOULD WELCOME WORK CONGRESS IS DOING RIGHT NOW

* POWELL: NO VIEW ON THE SIZE OF IT * POWELL SAYS THIS SPIKE IS SO MUCH LARGER, DO THINK THIS WILL SUPPRESS ACTIVITY

* POWELL: WE HAD OVERESTIMATED THE EFFECTS OF PREVIOUS SPIKES ON THE ECONOMY, THIS ONE IS LARGER THOUGH * POWELL: DON'T KNOW HOW BIG AN EFFECT IT WILL HAVE

* POWELL SAYS DON'T KNOW HOW BIG EFFECT OF SPIKE WILL BE ON ECONOMY * POWELL SAYS Q1 WILL SHOW SIGNIFICANT EFFECTS

* POWELL SAYS BY END OF Q1, Q2 VACCINATIONS WILL START TO HAVE AN EFFECT * POWELL SAYS EXPECT SECOND HALF OF NEXT YEAR ECONOMY SHOULD BE STRONGER

* POWELL: MY EXPECTATION IS SECOND HALF OF 2021 ECONOMY WILL BE PERFORMING STRONGLY * POWELL: HOUSING PRICES ARE NOT A CONCERN RIGHT NOW

* POWELL SAYS FROM FINANCIAL STABILITY STANDPOINT HOUSING PRICES ARE NOT A CONCERN * POWELL: WE CAN DO MORE

* POWELL SAYS THERE IS MORE THAT FED COULD DO TO PROVIDE SUPPORT TO ECONOMY IF NEEDED * POWELL: NEAR TERM THE HELP THAT PEOPLE NEED IS NOT JUST LOW INTEREST RATES, IT IS REAL SUPPORT

* POWELL: KNOW THERE ARE SMALL BUSINESSES ALL OVER THE COUNTRY THAT ARE JUST HANGING ON * POWELL SAYS WE ARE GOING TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT ECONOMY FOR QUITE A PERIOD OF TIME

* POWELL SAYS WILL BE A WHILE BEFORE BACK TO LEVELS OF LABOR MARKET CONDITIONS PRECRISIS * POWELL: WILL BE A WHILE BEFORE WE ARE BACK TO LABOR MARKET WE HAD EARLY THIS YEAR

* POWELL: IT IS POSSIBLE TO REACH HERD IMMUNITY SOMETIME MID-TO-LATE NEXT YEAR * POWELL SAYS SOMETIME IN MIDDLE, SECOND HALF OF 2021 U.S. MAY REACH HERD IMMUNITY

* POWELL SAYS HAVE TO BE HONEST ABOUT INFLATION; THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT GLOBAL DISINFLATIONARY PRESSURES * POWELL SAYS IT WILL TAKE SOME TIME TO GET INFLATION TO MOVE UP

* POWELL SAYS EVEN WITH VERY HIGH LEVEL OF ACCOMMODATION THROUGH RATES AND ASSET PURCHASES IT WILL TAKE SOME TIME TO GET INFLATION UP * POWELL: EVEN WITH VERY HIGH LEVEL OF ACCOMMODATION IT WILL TAKE SOME TIME TO LIFT INFLATION

* POWELL: WE HAVE HAD LONG EXPANSIONS FOR LAST COUPLE OF DECADES DUE TO LOW INFLATION * POWELL: MARKETS HAVE FOUND OUR ACTIONS CREDIBLE

* POWELL SAYS MARKETS HAVE FOUND FED CREDIBLE * POWELL: PLEASED BY RECEPTION IN MARKETS

* POWELL SAYS FED IS MOVING CAREFULLY, THOUGHTFULLY, WITH GREAT TRANSPARENCY ON CLIMATE CHANGE * POWELL SAYS CLIMATE CHANGE IS RELEVANT TO EXISTING FED MANDATES

* POWELL SAYS PUBLIC WILL EXPECT FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS WILL BE RESILIENT AGAINST RISKS, INCLUDING CLIMATE RISK * POWELL SAYS HAVE HISTORICALLY SHIED AWAY FROM TAKING A ROLE IN CREDIT ALLOCATION

* POWELL SAYS WOULD BE RELUCTANT TO SEE US MOVE IN THAT DIRECTION * POWELL: RELUCTANT TO SEE US MOVE IN THAT DIRECTION

* POWELL: REAL PLACE TO FOCUS IS SUPERVISION AND FINANCIAL CONDITIONS * POWELL: WORK TO BE DONE TO UNDERSTAND RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS AND CLIMATE CHANGE

* POWELL SAYS CONCERNS THAT HAD AT BEGINNING FOR MASSIVE SHORTFALLS AT STATE AND LOCAL GOVTS HAS NOT OCCURED * POWELL SAYS SOME STATES ARE HAVING DIFFICULTIES; OTHERS, NOT SO MUCH

* POWELL SAYS STATE AND LOCAL GOVTS EMPLOY A LOT OF PEOPLE, MONITORING 'MIXED PICTURE' * POWELL SAYS ASSET PURCHASE PROGRAM IS PROVIDING A LARGE AMOUNT OF SUPPORT TO THE ECONOMY

* POWELL SAYS HAVE ABILITY TO BUY MORE BONDS, OR BUY LONGER TERM BONDS, AND MAY USE IT * POWELL SAYS BIG EFFECTS FOR MONETARY POLICY ARE MONTHS AND MONTHS INTO THE FUTURE

* POWELL SAYS REMAIN OPEN TO INCREASING SIZE OF ASSET PURCHASES IF THAT TURNS OUT TO BE APPROPRIATE * POWELL SAYS THINK CURRENT STANCE IS APPROPRIATE

* POWELL: GUIDANCE ON PURCHASES TODAY WILL PROVIDE SUPPORT OVER TIME * POWELL SAYS THINK GUIDANCE ON ASSET PURCHASES WILL ALSO SUPPORT ECONOMY OVER TIME

* POWELL SAYS WE DON'T THINK ECONOMY SUFFERS FROM LACK OF ACCOMMODATIVE CONDITIONS, WE THINK IT SUFFERS FROM VIRUS * POWELL SAYS INFLATION DYNAMICS OF 1970S ARE NOT IN PLACE ANY MORE

* POWELL: INFLATION A FAINT HEARTBEAT OF WHAT IT WAS YEARS AGO * POWELL SAYS PERSISTENCE OF INFLATION IS JUST NOT THERE

* POWELL: SEES LOTS OF DEMAND FOR U.S. TREASURY PAPER * POWELL SAYS I'VE HAD TYPICAL MEETINGS WITH TRANSITION TEAM

* POWELL: HAVE HAD TYPICAL MEETINGS WITH BIDEN TRANSITION TEAM * POWELL: CALLED YELLEN TO CONGRATULATE HER

* POWELL SAYS HAVE ONLY SPOKEN TO YELLEN TO CONGRATULATE HER ON BEING NOMINATED * POWELL: DID NOT DISCUSS POLICY

* POWELL: WILL NOT TALK POLICY WITH HER UNTIL SHE IS CONFIRMED * POWELL: NOT TOO CONCERNED ABOUT STOCK MARKET VALUATIONS

* POWELL: NONFINANCIAL CORP LEVERAGE IS HIGH BUT RATES ARE LOW * POWELL SAYS ULTIMATE THING TO SUPPORT FINANCIAL STABILITY IS A STRONG ECONOMY

* POWELL SAYS BROAD FINANCIAL STABILITY PICTURE IS MIXED * POWELL: BROAD FINANCIAL STABILITY PICTURE IS 'MIXED'

* POWELL SAYS NOT A LOT OF RED FLAGS ON FINANCIAL STABILITY PICTURE, MONITORING ALMOST DAILY * POWELL SAYS AS A GENERAL RULE IT IS IMPORTANT TO BE ON A SUSTAINABLE FISCAL PATH, TIME TO FOCUS ON THAT IS WHEN ECONOMY IS STRONG

* POWELL SAYS DEBT TO GDP IS HIGH, BUT BY SOME OTHER MEASURES NOT THAT HIGH