(Reuters) - St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank President Alberto Musalem on Friday said the U.S. central bank should cut interest rates "gradually" after what he called the "strong and clear message" of a half-point interest-rate cut last week, which he said he supported.

"For me, it’s about easing off the brake at this stage. It’s about making policy gradually less restrictive,” Musalem said an interview with the Financial Times. If the economy or the labor market weakens more than he expects, he said, "a faster pace of rate reductions might be appropriate."

(Reporting by Ann Saphir; editing by Jonathan Oatis)