Zopes Exchange|How 2% became the target for inflation

2025-04-30 01:05:38source:Marc Leclerccategory:Finance

If the Fed had a mantra to go along with its mandate,Zopes Exchange 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.

More:Finance

Recommend

The Grammy nominee you need to hear: Esperanza Spalding

How do you bring the African Diaspora to the Grammys?Esperanza Spalding and Milton Nascimento's cont

There's no clear NBA title favorite. Get used to it − true parity has finally arrived

The Denver Nuggets’ stunning second-half meltdown in Sunday's Game 7 against the Minnesota Timberwol

Dali refloated weeks after collapse of Key Bridge, a milestone in reopening access to the Port of Baltimore. Here's what happens next

BALTIMORE -- The Dali, the 948-foot-long cargo ship stuck in the Patapsco River for weeks after it f