Fed's Barkin: biggest risk is consumer spending pullback, haven't seen it yet

April 9 (Reuters) - Richmond Federal Reserve Bank President Thomas Barkin on Wednesday said the biggest risk he's watching out for is a pullback in consumer spending, the biggest part of the U.S. economy, which so far has not happened even as stocks have fallen amid concern over the effect of U.S. tariffs and the escalating trade war.

"People are pulling back on air travel but you don't hear that on what I'll call everyday spend just yet...to me that'll be a signal, when you start talking to businesses who say 'boy I mean traffic just dried up' -- you haven't heard that yet but we'll see," Barkin told the Economic Club of Washington DC.

"An equity market correction is not the thing that leads to a consumer pullback. It's sort of broad-based conviction that this thing's going south."