logo
episode-header-image
Jan 2023
18m 21s

Two Indicators: The 2% inflation target

NPR
About this episode
If the Fed had a mantra to go along with its mandate, it might well be "two percent." We look into how that became the target inflation rate, why some economists are calling for a change and how the inflation rate becomes unanchored.

Subscribe to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy
Up next
Oct 2023
The flight attendants of CHAOS
When contract negotiations between Alaska Airlines and their flight attendants' union broke down in 1993, the union had a choice to make. The union — The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA — knew that if they chose to strike, Alaska Airlines could use a plan. While Alaska Airli ... Show More
28m 51s
May 2023
How you fight a squatting goat
Back in 2005, Burt Banks inherited a plot of old family land in Delaware. But when it came time to sell it, he ran into a problem: his neighbor had a goat pen, and about half of it crossed over onto his property. Burt asked the goats' owner to move the pen, but when neighborly pe ... Show More
28m 53s
Jan 2022
HBO 2.0
What happens when the iconic symbol of your brand no longer makes sense? Today, HBO tries to evolve their sonic brand. This episode was adapted from the podcast Twenty Thousand Hertz. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoi ... Show More
18m 49s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2024
Austan Goolsbee Talks Fed Policy, Inflation Data
Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago President Austan Goolsbee said policymakers should cut interest rates if US inflation continues to fall back to the 2% target. The Chicago Fed chief, speaking Tuesday on Bloomberg TV in Sintra, Portugal, said he feels “we are on a path to 2%” infla ... Show More
9m 4s
Jul 2023
Inflation Fixation
As inflation continues to outstrip wage growth for all but the top ten per cent of earners, interest rates look set to keep rising at least until February 2024. The political economist William Davies joins Tom to consider the reasons for high inflation and the Bank of England’s r ... Show More
53m 43s
Jun 2024
Is the Fed Thinking About Inflation All Wrong?
For over a decade, America’s central bank has had an inflation target of 2%. On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve announced that it would keep its main interest rate unchanged in order to try and get inflation to that magic number. But what if the Fed is thinking about inflation all ... Show More
17m 3s
Dec 2023
Allow us to explain
When it comes to economic talk, inflation is a major topic these days. But the word for “getting inflation to slow down a bit” isn’t as well known. In this episode, we’ll talk to economists who tell us what the difference is between “disinflation” and “deflation” and why the Fede ... Show More
27m 22s