Fed's Evans: reasonable to continue to taper unless get 'really offbeat' data

CORALVILLE, Iowa (Reuters) - Chicago Federal Reserve Bank president Charles Evans, one of the Fed's most dovish policymakers, told reporters he expects the U.S. central bank to continue to taper its massive bond-buying at a measured pace of perhaps $10 billion at each meeting, unless data comes in unexpectedly weak.

"At the moment the plan seems quite reasonable," he told reporters after a speech here. Bond-buying will likely continue until after the first half of the year, he said, although if data comes in better than expected, the Fed could taper the program more aggressively.

Asked if the Fed could pause its program of tapering should data weaken, Evans suggested that was unlikely, because the Fed has determined to move away from bond-buying and toward forward guidance on rate policy as its main tool.

(Reporting by Ann Saphir; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)