U.S. Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen has strongly indicated to Congress that, barring any major shocks to the global economy, the Fed policymakers are likely to vote for an interest rate hike very soon.

On Dec. 2, Yellen said the U.S. economy has “recovered substantially since the Great Recession” and that she was “looking forward” to increasing rates.

Then on Dec. 3, Yellen continued to boost morale. “I currently judge that U.S. economic growth is likely to be sufficient over the next year or two to result in further improvement in the labor market,” she said. “Ongoing gains in the labor market, coupled with my judgment that longer-term inflation expectations remain reasonably well anchored, serve to bolster my confidence in a return of inflation to 2%.”

Of course, the problem with these comments from Yellen is that she’s being intentionally vague on timing and rationale.

Other experts make clearer justifications for a December rate hike.

Here’s what they are saying…

These Experts Provide Greater Perspective on the Interest Rate Hike

“If we were to get another recession, then we would be in trouble. So there’s a case there for being cautious… You don’t want to have to raise rates and then have to come right back down to zero in a situation where the economy is weak and you don’t have the tools,” Bernanke said. His cautionary sentiment echoes Yellen’s, who remarked in her testimony to Congress on Dec. 3: “We want to make sure that, having achieved this progress in the labor market, we maintain it and don’t put it in danger.”