Dec 1 (Reuters) - The U.S. economy is likely to slow and perhaps even stall in coming months amid the surge in coronavirus cases, San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank President Mary Daly said on Tuesday, but the central bank should not respond, as it typically does to slowdowns, by pulling out more stops. “It is not the time to stimulate the economy aggressively and get people out in the economy because that would be unsafe,” Daly told reporters on a call after a talk at Arizona State University, held virtually. “I judge policy as in a good place.” Daly’s view, if shared by her colleagues, suggests the Fed is likely to stand pat at its meeting later this month, perhaps disappointing investors who increasingly expect the Fed to ramp up its monetary support for a nation battered by record COVID-19 hospitalizations. Though the Fed could deliver more support by skewing its $120 billion in monthly asset purchases to longer-maturity securities, Daly said, “I see no indication that markets are misunderstanding where we are headed and that we need to somehow do something different to get financial markets where we need them to be.” Though Daly said that giving more guidance on the Fed’s asset purchase program would be a “next natural step” for the Fed, she declined to give any contours of what that guidance could look like. “We are thinking hard about what does the economy need and ... when can we shift gears mentally... from building a bridge to actually trying to stimulate the economy into a strong recovery,” she said. “And we are not there yet.” (Reporting by Ann Saphir; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)