Improving U.S. monetary policy communications

Author / Creator

Cecchetti, Stephen G. (Stephen Giovanni) author

Available as

Online

Summary

The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) publishes vast amounts of information regarding monetary policy, including its goals, strategy and outlook. By reinforcing the commitment to price stability...

The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) publishes vast amounts of information regarding monetary policy, including its goals, strategy and outlook. By reinforcing the commitment to price stability and maximum sustainable employment, this transparency has helped improve U.S. economic performance in recent decades. Based on two dozen interviews with policy experts, we identify three objectives that guide our search for further improvements in communications practices: simplifying public statements, clarifying how policy will react to changing conditions, and highlighting uncertainty and risks. As examples, we propose a simpler post-meeting policy statement and the introduction of a concise Report on Economic Projections, the elements of which are mostly available in existing publications. A broader, systematic application of these objectives could also help the FOMC streamline other aspects of its communications framework.

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