Federal Reserve Chair Powell is not an economist. Not everyone can be an economist, but central bank heads probably should be economists. Yesterday, Powell stated reaching 2% inflation was taking longer than expected. The US PCE deflator is 2.5% y/y, the core PCE deflator is 2.8% y/y, and harmonized inflation is 2.4% y/y. Imprecise data means most economists regard a 2% inflation target as meaning a 1%-to-3% range. The fictional owners’ equivalent rent may be taking longer than expected to reach 2%, but that is not the same thing as inflation.
