Current:Home > MyHow 2% became the target for inflation -Visionary Wealth Guides
How 2% became the target for inflation
View
Date:2025-04-27 15:09:52
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! (4)
Related
- Could your smelly farts help science?
- Russian shelling in Ukraine's Kherson region kills 7, including 23-day-old baby
- 'I didn't like what I saw': Carli Lloyd doubles down on USWNT World Cup criticism
- 'I was crying hysterically': Maui residents search for missing pets after deadly fires
- Backstage at New York's Jingle Ball with Jimmy Fallon, 'Queer Eye' and Meghan Trainor
- Maui's cultural landmarks burned, but all is not lost
- Grad school debt can be crushing for students. With wages stagnant, Education Dept worries
- Teen Mom's Catelynn Lowell and Tyler Baltierra Share the Hardest Part of Daughter Carly's Adoption
- Can Bill Belichick turn North Carolina into a winner? At 72, he's chasing one last high
- Have Fun in the Sun With Porsha Williams’ Amazon Summer Essentials
Ranking
- South Korea's acting president moves to reassure allies, calm markets after Yoon impeachment
- Cell phone photos and some metadata. A son's search for his mother in Maui
- New Jersey’s gambling revenue was up by 5.3% in July. The Borgata casino set a new monthly record
- Sex ed for people with disabilities is almost non-existent. Here's why that needs to change.
- Person accused of accosting Rep. Nancy Mace at Capitol pleads not guilty to assault charge
- New Jersey Supreme Court rules in favor of Catholic school that fired unwed pregnant teacher
- Police change account of fatal shooting by Philadelphia officer, saying driver was shot inside car
- Lahaina natives describe harrowing scene as Maui wildfire raged on: It's like a bomb went off
Recommendation
NFL Week 15 picks straight up and against spread: Bills, Lions put No. 1 seed hopes on line
Keke Palmer and Darius Jackson Break Up After His Outfit-Shaming Comments
Former Brazilian miltary police officer convicted in 2015 deaths arrested in New Hampshire
A viral video of a swarm of sharks in the Gulf of Mexico prompts question: Is this normal? Here's what an expert says.
The 401(k) millionaires club keeps growing. We'll tell you how to join.
When is the World Cup final? Everything to know for England vs. Spain
Transportation disaster closes schools, leaves students stranded in Louisville, Kentucky
Kaley Cuoco Got Carpal Tunnel Syndrome From Holding Baby Girl Matilda