Current:Home > NewsHow 2% became the target for inflation -FutureFinance
How 2% became the target for inflation
View
Date:2025-04-12 21:49:20
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! (562)
Related
- Travis Hunter, the 2
- 15-year-old shot in neck, 5 others hurt in shooting on Chicago's Northwest Side
- Native American boarding school records reveal hidden truths
- Bryson DeChambeau wins 2024 U.S. Open with clutch finish to deny Rory McIlroy
- Kylie Jenner Shows Off Sweet Notes From Nieces Dream Kardashian & Chicago West
- The Daily Money: A Chick-fil-A child labor camp?!
- Surgeon general calls on Congress to require social media warning labels, like those on cigarettes
- A new airport could spark the economy in a rural part of Florida. Will the workforce be ready?
- 'Most Whopper
- Missouri man drives stolen truck onto a runway behind plane that had just landed in St. Louis
Ranking
- Trump suggestion that Egypt, Jordan absorb Palestinians from Gaza draws rejections, confusion
- Mega Millions winning numbers for June 14 drawing: Jackpot climbs to $61 million
- Remains in former home of man convicted of killing wife identified as those of missing ex-girlfriend
- A year after the Titan’s tragic dive, deep-sea explorers vow to pursue ocean’s mysteries
- Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
- 3 men set for pleas, sentencings in prison killing of Boston gangster James ‘Whitey’ Bulger
- An emotional win for theaters, Hollywood: ‘Inside Out 2’ scores massive $155 million opening
- Rep. Mike Turner says Speaker Johnson will assert leadership if any improper behavior by new Intelligence Committee members
Recommendation
Military service academies see drop in reported sexual assaults after alarming surge
The Best Hotels & Resorts Near Walt Disney World for a Fairy-Tale Vacation
Who won Tony Awards for 2024: Full list of winners and nominees
Museum in Switzerland to pull famous paintings by Monet, van Gogh over Nazi looting fears
Jamie Foxx reps say actor was hit in face by a glass at birthday dinner, needed stitches
AI experimentation is high risk, high reward for low-profile political campaigns
2024 Tony Awards: See Every Red Carpet Fashion Moment
Field for New Jersey’s 2025 governor’s race expands, with radio host and teachers union president