Current:Home > ContactHow 2% became the target for inflation -Elite Financial Minds
How 2% became the target for inflation
View
Date:2025-04-15 08:47:32
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! (35)
Related
- McConnell absent from Senate on Thursday as he recovers from fall in Capitol
- King Charles III coronation guest list: Who's invited and who's stuck at home?
- NFL’s Damar Hamlin Supports Brother on The Masked Singer 2 Months After Cardiac Arrest
- Ginny & Georgia's Brianne Howey Is Pregnant With First Baby
- Bill Belichick's salary at North Carolina: School releases football coach's contract details
- Taylor Swift's Handmade Eras Tour Backstage Pass Is Something Out of a Lavender Haze
- Sudan ceasefire eases fighting as army denies rumors about deposed dictator Omar al-Bashir's whereabouts
- Elon Musk addresses Twitter staff about free speech, remote work, layoffs and aliens
- IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
- Royal Caribbean cruise ship passenger goes overboard on trip to Hawaii
Ranking
- All That You Wanted to Know About She’s All That
- What Elon Musk's Twitter Bid Says About 'Extreme Capitalism'
- How period tracking apps and data privacy fit into a post-Roe v. Wade climate
- UK blocks Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard
- Louvre will undergo expansion and restoration project, Macron says
- Researchers work to create a sense of touch in prosthetic limbs
- Fidelity will start offering bitcoin as an investment option in 401(k) accounts
- Second pastor in Kenya accused of mass killing of his followers
Recommendation
Rams vs. 49ers highlights: LA wins rainy defensive struggle in key divisional game
What the latest U.S. military aid to Ukraine can tell us about the state of the war
Shop These 15 Women-Founded Accessories Brands Because It’s Women’s History Month & You Deserve a Treat
Nearly 400 car crashes in 11 months involved automated tech, companies tell regulators
'Survivor' 47 finale, part one recap: 2 players were sent home. Who's left in the game?
Second pastor in Kenya accused of mass killing of his followers
Why the Ingredients of Ice-T and Coco Austin's Love Story Make for the Perfect Blend
Netflix lost viewers for the 1st time in 10 years, says password sharing is to blame