The Wall Street Journal reported, citing an interview, that Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta president Dennis Lockhart said the economy is ready for the first increase in short-term interest rates in more than nine years and it would take a significant deterioration in the data to convince him not to move in September.

The Journal noted that Lockhart is watched closely in financial markets because he tends to be a centrist among Fed officials who moves with the central bank’s consensus, unlike those who stake out harder positions for or against changing interest rates.

The Journal said Lockhart’s comments follow those of James Bullard, president of the St. Louis Fed, who said in a recent interview with the Journal, “we are in good shape” for a rate increase in September.

Access the full article from the WSJ here.