New Economy Forum

All Brakes and No Engine, Central Banks Seek New Inflation Ideas

  • Prices keep falling short, spurring rethink at Fed and beyond
  • Debate ranges from target tweak to ‘rip it up and start again’
Adam PosenPhotographer: Marlene Awaad/Bloomberg
Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

Go inside the global economy with Stephanie Flanders in her new podcast, Stephanomics. Subscribe via Pocket Cast or iTunes.

Adam Posen grabs an imaginary flagpole with two hands and waves it back and forth in his office at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington. “We want inflation to go up!’’ he shouts, as if issuing orders from some central bank rooftop. “Inflation! Go up!’’