The growth of U.S. economy may slow down as energy prices continue a upward trend and push inflation higher, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said Thursday.

Speaking to the Economic Club of Chicago, the Fed chief said that higher energy prices pose a challenge for the Federal Reserve because it can affect the economy in a number of ways, such as slowing economic growth or raising inflation.

"In the short run, sharply higher energy prices create a rather different and, in some ways, a more difficult set of economic challenges," Bernanke said in a speech released by the Fed.

The U.S. economy has been "remarkably flexible" with regard to the continued spike of energy prices, he said.

The U.S. economy, which grew by 5.3 percent in the first quarter of this year, is expected by analysts to slow down in the second quarter.

Bernanke said on June 5 that the Fed would take all necessary measures to rein in inflation so that it would not affect the economy, sending a strong signal that it may further increase interest rates at the Fed's next meeting slated for June 28-29.

Source: Xinhua