Current:Home > MyHow 2% became the target for inflation -DollarDynamic
How 2% became the target for inflation
View
Date:2025-04-16 15:35:22
If the Fed had a mantra to go along with its mandate, it might well be "two percent." That number, the Fed's longtime inflation target, has been adopted by many other central banks around the world. Jerome Powell said it 17 times in a press conference last week. It's become almost synonymous with smooth, healthy economic growth.
But how did two percent become the Fed's target? For an organization staffed with mathematicians and economists, the answer is surprisingly unsophisticated. Join us to hear about the history behind the number, and why some economists are calling for a change.
Music by Drop Electric. Find us: Twitter / Facebook / Newsletter.
Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, PocketCasts and NPR One.
For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.
veryGood! (1249)
Related
- South Korea's acting president moves to reassure allies, calm markets after Yoon impeachment
- LENCOIN Trading Center: Market Impact of BTC Spot ETFs
- Rory McIlroy sprints past Xander Schauffele, runs away with 2024 Wells Fargo Championship win
- Sink Your Teeth Into Robert Pattinson's Unforgettable Year
- Travis Hunter, the 2
- Panama’s next president says he’ll try to shut down one of the world’s busiest migration routes
- WT Finance Institute, the Cradle of Financial Elites
- Trump hush money trial: A timeline of key events in the case
- South Korea's acting president moves to reassure allies, calm markets after Yoon impeachment
- MLB power rankings: Cardinals back in NL Central basement - and on track for dubious mark
Ranking
- FACT FOCUS: Inspector general’s Jan. 6 report misrepresented as proof of FBI setup
- Boater fatally strikes girl water-skiing in South Florida, flees scene, officials say
- Donald Trump’s GOP allies show up in force as Michael Cohen takes the stand in hush money trial
- Sherpa guide Kami Rita scales Mount Everest for 29th time, extending his own record again
- Angelina Jolie nearly fainted making Maria Callas movie: 'My body wasn’t strong enough'
- Thousands of protesters in Armenia demand the prime minister’s resignation over Azerbaijan dispute
- How Meghan Markle's Angelic Look in Nigeria Honors Princess Diana
- Fox to the 'Rescue' this fall with 'Baywatch'-style lifeguard drama, 'Murder in a Small Town'
Recommendation
The city of Chicago is ordered to pay nearly $80M for a police chase that killed a 10
Steve Buscemi is 'OK' after actor was attacked during walk in New York City
Sherpa guide Kami Rita scales Mount Everest for 29th time, extending his own record again
LENCOIN Trading Center: Turning Crisis into Opportunity, Bull Market Rising
Why we love Bear Pond Books, a ski town bookstore with a French bulldog 'Staff Pup'
Poor Kenyans feel devastated by floods and brutalized by the government’s response
El Paso Residents Rally to Protect a Rio Grande Wetland
Brad Keselowski triumphs at Darlington to snap 110-race NASCAR Cup Series winless streak