Stephen King savages rigid inflation targets

Stephen King, Chief Global Economist at HSBC is brilliant in today’s Independent - attacking the rigid adherence to an inflation target based solely on the rate of change of consumer prices and ignoring asset price deflation. One of the best comment pieces on macroeconomic policy that I have read in a long time.

“The rigid adherence to an inflation target in a world of constant external shocks may sometimes be more a source of instability than of tranquillity. With sizeable relative price shocks stemming from globalisation, the risks of instability are all the greater. Even worse, if the public thinks that price stability is the only litmus test of economic health, the achievement of low inflation may encourage excessive risk-taking which, in turn, could undermine the achievement of broader economic objectives.”