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For release on delivery
12:40 p.m. EST
November 29, 2016

Recent Economic Developments and Longer-Run Challenges

Remarks by
Jerome H. Powell
Member
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
at
The Economic Club of Indiana
Indianapolis, Indiana

November 29, 2016

Thank you for the opportunity to speak here today. My plan is to discuss the U.S.
economy from three different perspectives. I will start by taking stock of the current
expansion--a business cycle point of view. Then I will shift the focus to some of the
longer-term challenges we face in coming years. I will conclude with a discussion of
monetary policy. As always, the views I express here today are mine alone.
The Current State of the Economy
As you know, the Congress has tasked the Federal Reserve with achieving stable
prices and maximum employment--the dual mandate. Today, we are not far from
achieving those goals.
The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) has an objective of 2 percent for
inflation, as measured by the annual change in the price index for personal consumption
expenditures. The Committee sees this objective as symmetrical, so that minor
deviations above or below 2 percent are treated alike. 1 Inflation has consistently run
below 2 percent since 2011, and is now at 1.2 percent over the past 12 months (figure 1).
This headline measure of inflation has recently been held down by falling energy and
food prices. We also monitor core inflation, which excludes the volatile energy and food
components because they often send a misleading signal about underlying inflation
pressures. Core inflation is running at 1.7 percent over the past 12 months. Both
measures have gradually moved upward toward 2 percent.
U.S. inflation trended steadily lower after the Volcker disinflation of 1981 to 1982
and has been low and reasonably stable for many years. In fact, for the past several years
inflation has run below policy targets in many parts of the world, including here in the

1

See the FOMC’s “Statement on Longer-Run Goals and Monetary Policy Strategy,” FOMC, January 26,
2016, www.federalreserve.gov/monetarypolicy/files/FOMC_LongerRunGoals_20160126.pdf.

-2United States. Many of us are old enough to remember when the only challenge was to
keep inflation low. But too-low inflation can also be a serious problem. Below-target
inflation increases the real value of debts owed by households and businesses and reduces
the ability of central banks to respond to downturns.
The public’s expectations about inflation are thought to be an important driver of
actual inflation. Many measures of U.S. inflation expectations--both from surveys and
from market-based readings--are still well below their pre-crisis levels, although some
have moved up as of late. The only way to ensure that inflation expectations remain
safely anchored near the FOMC’s target is to keep inflation close to that target on a
consistent basis. So, while the current shortfall may seem small, it is important that
inflation continue to move up to 2 percent, as I expect it will.
The FOMC does not have a numerical goal for maximum employment because
the long-run sustainable level of employment changes over time and is determined
mainly by nonmonetary factors that are outside the Fed’s control, such as evolving labor
market practices, demographics, social change, and fiscal and regulatory policies.
Nonetheless, four times each year FOMC participants write down their estimates of the
longer-run normal level of the unemployment rate (the natural rate); at the September
FOMC meeting the median estimate was 4.8 percent, very close to the current
unemployment rate of 4.9 percent.
Other labor market measures are also healthy, including payroll job creation and
labor force participation. Employers have been adding roughly 180,000 jobs per month
so far this year--a pace a little below that of the past several years but significantly higher
than underlying growth in the labor force (figure 2). Despite these strong job gains, the

-3unemployment rate has flattened out this year after several years of sharp declines, thanks
to welcome developments in labor force participation (figure 3).
The labor force participation rate represents the percentage of adults aged 16 and
over who are in the labor force, which is defined to include only those who are employed
or actively looking for work. When people enter or reenter the labor force and begin to
search for a job, that is generally a good thing even though at the margin their entry tends
to increase the unemployment rate (or prevent it from declining). Beginning in the
1960s, labor force participation rose steadily as women entered the paid workforce
(figure 4). That trend ran its course as participation peaked around 2000 and has declined
steadily since then as a result of the aging of our population and other longer-run trends,
notably the decline in participation by men in the heart of their working-age years. Going
forward, many analysts expect labor force participation to decline at a trend rate of
roughly 0.3 percent per year as a result of these factors. However, participation fell much
more sharply than that after the financial crisis. Some of those who left the labor force
went back to school, but others moved onto disability, took early retirement, or just
became discouraged and stopped seeking work. The sharp drop raised fears that the
crisis might leave behind permanent damage to our labor force. Fortunately, since late
2013, the participation rate has remained about flat and thus has gradually moved back
close to its estimated longer-term trend. 2 On net, people have been entering and
remaining in the labor market as job prospects have brightened, offsetting the natural
decline from population aging.

2

The current participation rate is within the range of estimates cited in Stephanie Aaronson, Tomaz Cajner,
Bruce Fallick, Felix Galbis-Reig, Christopher Smith, and William Wascher (2014), “Labor Force
Participation: Recent Developments and Future Prospects,” Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Fall,
pp. 197-275, www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Fall2014BPEA_Aaronson_et_al.pdf.

-4Surveys of households and firms also suggest that we are near full employment
(figure 5). For example, respondents are now more likely to say that jobs are plentiful
than that they are hard to get--a response that has generally been seen when the economy
is near full employment. Job vacancies are running at high levels, and firms report that it
is getting harder to find employees to fill open positions. Moreover, wages are now
rising faster than inflation, and faster than output per hour. Taken together, labor market
indicators show an economy that is on solid footing and close to our mandate of
maximum employment.
It is interesting to compare this expansion to past U.S. expansions, and also to
recoveries of other countries since the end of the Global Financial Crisis. The picture is a
mixed one. The current recovery has been under way since June 2009--nearly seven and
a half years. It will soon be the third longest of the 20 recoveries since the founding of
the Federal Reserve in 1913. GDP, or output, is now 11 percent higher than its pre-crisis
peak. Employment is now 6.5 million higher than its pre-crisis peak.
But this expansion has also had the slowest pace of GDP growth of any postwar
recovery (figure 6). Given steady but modest growth, we have seen surprisingly large
gains in employment and, until this year, a rapid reduction in the unemployment rate.
Even though GDP growth has been slow, job gains during this recovery have been
stronger than those during the previous expansion--the so-called jobless recovery of the
early 2000s. The combination of weak growth and strong hiring in this expansion
implies small increases in output per hour, or productivity. In fact, productivity has been
increasing at a dismal pace, compared with virtually any period in the postwar era. I will
return to productivity and growth in a moment.

-5More positively, our current recovery compares fairly well with those of other
advanced economies (figure 7). Output has increased faster, and unemployment has
declined faster, in the United States than in other major advanced economies. And the
Fed’s challenges in getting inflation back up to 2 percent are similar to, but not as severe
as, those faced by some other major monetary authorities.
Turning to the near-term outlook, after a slow patch in the first half of this year,
growth has clearly strengthened. I expect that the economy will continue on its path of
the last few years, with real GDP growth of about 2 percent, strong job gains, a tightening
labor market, and inflation moving up toward our 2 percent objective. The main risks I
see to that outlook are from abroad. Growth and inflation are low around the world.
With interest rates so low, we are not well positioned to respond to negative shocks,
whatever the source.
Longer-Run Challenges
Productivity and Growth
Let’s turn to longer-run challenges, and start by asking why growth has been so
slow, and how fast we are likely to grow going forward. This next slide shows the fiveyear trailing average annual real GDP growth rate (figure 8). By this measure, growth
averaged about 3.2 percent annually through the 1970s, the 1980s, and the 1990s. But
growth began to decline after 2000 and then nose-dived with the onset of the Global
Financial Crisis in 2007 and the slow expansion that followed. Since the financial crisis
ended in 2009, forecasters have gradually reduced their estimates of long-run trend

-6growth from about 3 percent to about 2 percent--a seemingly small difference that would
make a huge difference in living standards over time. 3
How much of this decline is just a particularly bad business cycle, and how much
represents a long-run downshift? To get at that question, let’s take a deeper look at the
growth slowdown. We can think of economic growth as coming from two sources: more
hours worked (labor supply) or higher output per hour (productivity). Hours worked
mainly depends on growth in the labor force, which has been slowing since the mid2000s as the baby-boom generation ages. As you can see, the labor force is now growing
at only about 0.5 percent per year (figure 9). Another way to see this is through the
sustained increase in the ratio of people over 65 to those who are in their prime working
years (figure 10). This long-expected demographic fact has now arrived, and it has
challenging implications for our potential growth and also for our fiscal policy. 4
The unexpected part of the growth slowdown reflects weak productivity growth
rather than lower labor supply. Labor productivity has increased only 1/2 percent per
year since 2010--the smallest five-year rate of increase since World War II and about
one-fourth of the average postwar rate (figure 11). The slowdown in productivity has
been worldwide and is evident even in countries that were little affected by the crisis
(figure 12). Given the global nature of the phenomenon, it is unlikely that U.S.-specific
factors are mainly responsible.

3
See Jerome H. Powell (2016), “Recent Economic Developments, the Productive Potential of the
Economy, and Monetary Policy,” speech delivered at the Peterson Institute for International Economics,
Washington, D.C., May 26, www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/speech/powell20160526a.htm.
4
Congressional Budget Office (2016), The 2016 Long-Term Budget Outlook, (Washington: CBO, July),
www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/114th-congress-2015-2016/reports/51580-LTBO.pdf.

-7A portion of the productivity slowdown is undoubtedly due to low levels of
investment by businesses. The financial crisis and the Great Recession left firms with
excess capacity, reducing incentives to invest. If businesses expect slower growth to
continue, that will also hold down investment.
The other important factor is the decline in what economists call total factor
productivity, or TFP, which is the part of productivity that is not explained by capital
investment or increases in the skills of the labor force. TFP is thought to be mainly a
function of technological innovation and efficiency gains.
There is no consensus about the future direction of productivity. 5 The pessimists
argue that the big paradigm-changing innovations, such as electrification or the advent of
computers, are behind us. If that is so, then our standard of living will increase more
slowly going forward. The optimists think that this slowdown is only a passing phase
and that the age of robots and machine learning will transform our economy in coming
decades. Still others argue that we are currently underestimating productivity and output
because of the real difficulties we face in measuring GDP in a modern economy. For
example, how do we measure the value-added of free digital services like Facebook or
Twitter? 6
The future is, as always, uncertain. But I would sum up the growth discussion as
follows. Growth in the labor force has slowed, and we can estimate it with reasonable

5

On the pessimistic end of the spectrum are analysts such as Robert Gordon, The Rise and Fall of
American Growth: The U.S. Standard of Living since the Civil War (Princeton University Press, 2016).
Among the optimists are Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee, The Second Machine Age: Work,
Progress, and Prosperity in a Time of Brilliant Technologies (W. W. Norton & Company, 2014).
6
See David M. Byrne, John G. Fernald, and Marshall B. Reinsdorf (2016), “Does the United States Have a
Productivity Slowdown or Measurement Problem?” Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, March 4,
www.brookings.edu/bpea-articles/does-the-united-states-have-a-productivity-slowdown-or-a-measurementproblem.

-8confidence to be only about 0.5 percent. Growth in productivity is both more important
and much harder to predict. Productivity varies significantly over time, as figure 11
showed. If productivity growth returns to, say, 1.5 percent, then the U.S. economy could
grow at about 2.0 percent over the long term. Actual growth may turn out to be weaker
or stronger, and the choices we make as a society will have something to say about that.
Why Are Long-Term Interest Rates So Low?
Let’s turn to the related question of why long-term interest rates are so
extraordinarily low in advanced economies around the world. The yield on our own
benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury security has increased lately, but at 2.3 percent it is still
far below what was normal before the financial crisis. In fact, this next chart shows that,
as growth and inflation have fallen, longer term interest rates have fallen as well over the
past 35 years (figure 13).
So why are long-term interest rates so low? Many of you will no doubt be
thinking, “They are low because you people at the Fed set them low!” While there is an
element of truth there, that is not the whole story. The FOMC has considerable control
over short-term interest rates. We have much less influence over long-term rates, which
are set in the marketplace. Long-term interest rates represent the price that balances the
supply of saving by lenders and demand for funds by borrowers, such as businesses
needing to fund their capital expenditures. Lenders expect to receive a real return and to
be compensated for inflation and for the risk of nonpayment. Meanwhile, borrowers
adjust their demand for funds based on their changing assessment of the risks and
expected returns of their investment projects. When desired saving rises or investment

-9demand falls, then long-term interest rates will decline. Today’s very low level of longterm rates suggests that both of these factors are at play.
Both expectations of slower growth and the aging of our population are having
significant effects on desired saving and investment and are thus important causes of
lower interest rates. If the economy is expanding more slowly, then the level of
investment needed to meet demand will be lower. The lower path of growth reduces
future income prospects of households, and they will tend to raise their saving. The
pending retirement of baby boomers means higher saving, because people tend to save
the most in the years just before their retirement. In addition, the lower rate of return on
capital owing to lower productivity growth will lead to less investment and lower interest
rates.
As with productivity, the factors behind the fall in U.S. interest rates include an
important global component, as rates are low around the world. Indeed, although our
rates are near historical lows, U.S. Treasury rates are among the highest among the major
advanced economy sovereigns (figure 14).
Is This the New Normal?
What can we do to prevent low growth, low inflation, and low interest rates from
becoming the new normal? We need to focus on ways to increase our long-term growth
and spread that prosperity as broadly as possible. I hasten to add that these policies are,
for the most part, outside the purview of the Federal Reserve. We need policies that
support productivity growth, business hiring and investment, labor force participation,
and the development of skills. We need effective fiscal and regulatory policies that
inspire public confidence. Increased spending on public infrastructure may raise private-

- 10 sector productivity over time, particularly with the growth of the stock of public
infrastructure near an all-time low. 7 Greater support for public and private research and
development, and policies that improve product and labor market dynamism may also be
fruitful. 8 Monetary policy can contribute by supporting a strong and durable expansion
in a context of price stability.
Monetary Policy
The low interest rate environment presents special challenges for monetary
policy. In setting our target for the federal funds rate, a good place to start is to identify
the rate that would prevail if the economy were at 2 percent inflation and full
employment--the so-called neutral rate. “Neutral” in this context means that the rate is
neither contractionary nor expansionary. If the fed funds rate is lower than the neutral
rate, then policy is stimulative or accommodative, which will tend to raise growth and
inflation. If the fed funds rate is higher than the neutral rate, then policy is tight and will
tend to slow growth and reduce inflation.
But we can only estimate the neutral rate, and those estimates are subject to
substantial uncertainty. Before the crisis, the long-run neutral rate was generally thought
to be roughly stable at around 4.25 percent. Since the crisis, estimates have steadily

7

See, for example, Abdul Abiad, Davide Furceri, and Petia Topalova (2014), “IMF Survey: The Time Is
Right for an Infrastructure Push,” World Economic Outlook (Washington: International Monetary Fund,
October), www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2015/09/28/04/53/sores093014a.
8
See, for example, International Monetary Fund (2016), “Acting Now, Acting Together,” Fiscal Monitor
(Washington: IMF, April), www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fm/2016/01/fmindex.htm; Ryan A. Decker, John
Haltiwanger, Ron S. Jarmin, and Javier Miranda (2016), “Declining Business Dynamism: What We Know
and the Way Forward,” American Economic Review, vol. 106 (May), pp. 203-07,
www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/aer.p20161050; Steven Davis and John Haltiwanger (2014), “Labor
Market Fluidity and Economic Performance,” NBER Working Paper Series 20479 (Cambridge, Mass:
National Bureau of Economic Research, September); The Department of the Treasury Office of Economic
Policy, the Council of Economic Advisers, and the Department of Labor (2015), “Occupational Licensing:
A Framework for Policymakers” (Washington: The White House, July),
www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/licensing_report_final_nonembargo.pdf.

- 11 declined, and the median estimate by FOMC participants stood at 2.9 percent in
September. Many analysts believe that the neutral rate is even lower than that today and
will only return to its long-run value over time. 9 The low level of the neutral interest rate
has several important implications. First, today’s low rates are not as stimulative as they
seem--consider that, despite historically low rates, inflation has run consistently below
target and housing construction remains far below pre-crisis levels. Second, with rates so
low, central banks are not well positioned to counteract a renewed bout of weakness.
Third, persistently low interest rates can raise financial stability concerns. A long period
of very low interest rates could lead to excessive risk-taking and, over time, to
unsustainably high asset prices and credit growth. These are risks that we monitor
carefully. Higher growth would increase the neutral rate and help address these issues.
Turning to the outlook for monetary policy, incoming data show an economy that
is growing at a healthy pace, with solid payroll job gains and inflation gradually moving
up to 2 percent. In my view, the case for an increase in the federal funds rate has clearly
strengthened since our previous meeting earlier this month. Of course, the path of rates
will depend on the path of the economy. With inflation below target, relatively slow
growth, and some slack remaining in the economy, the Committee has been patient about
raising rates. That patience has paid dividends. But moving too slowly could eventually
mean that the Committee would have to tighten policy abruptly to avoid overshooting our
goals.

9

See, for example, Kathryn Holston, Thomas Laubach, and John Williams (2016), “Measuring the Natural
Rate of Interest: International Trends and Determinants,” Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco Working
Paper 2016-11 (August), http://www.frbsf.org/economic-research/files/wp2016-11.pdf; Benjamin K.
Johannsen and Elmar Mertens (2016), “The Expected Real Interest Rate in the Long Run: Time Series
Evidence with the Effective Lower Bound,” FEDS Notes (Washington: Board of Governors of the Federal
Reserve System, February 9), http://dx.doi.org/10.17016/2380-7172.1703.

- 12 Conclusion
To wrap up, since the end of the Great Recession in 2009, our economy has
recovered slowly but steadily. Today, we are reasonably close to achieving full
employment and our 2 percent inflation objective. But we face real challenges over the
medium and longer terms. Our aging population will mean slower growth, all else held
equal. If living standards are to continue to rise, we need policies that will support
productivity and allow our dynamic economy to generate widespread gains in prosperity.

Recent Economic Developments and Longer-Term
Challenges
Jerome Powell
Member
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
November 29, 2016

-2

Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.

2016 - Jan

Core

2014 - Jan

6

2012 - Jan

2010 - Jan

2008 - Jan

2006 - Jan

2004 - Jan

2002 - Jan

2000 - Jan

1998 - Jan

1996 - Jan

1994 - Jan

1992 - Jan

1990 - Jan

1988 - Jan

1986 - Jan

1984 - Jan

1982 - Jan

1980 - Jan

1. Inflation is moving up toward target
Percent change from
12 months earlier
12

10

8

Total

4

2

0

1

2. Payroll employment growth is solid
Millions
125

40
Private (left)
Government (right)

120

35

Thousands

Average 3-month change*

400
200
0

115

30

-200
-400

Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.

2016 - Jan

2015 - Jan

2014 - Jan

2013 - Jan

2012 - Jan

2011 - Jan

2010 - Jan

2016 - Jan

2014 - Jan

2012 - Jan

2010 - Jan

2008 - Jan

2006 - Jan

2004 - Jan

2002 - Jan

2000 - Jan

20

-800
2009 - Jan

105

-600

2008 - Jan

25

2007 - Jan

110

*Excluding temporary Census Bureau workers.

2

0

Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.

2016 - Jan

2014 - Jan

2012 - Jan

2010 - Jan

2008 - Jan

2006 - Jan

2004 - Jan

2002 - Jan

2000 - Jan

1998 - Jan

1996 - Jan

1994 - Jan

1992 - Jan

1990 - Jan

1988 - Jan

1986 - Jan

1984 - Jan

1982 - Jan

1980 - Jan

1978 - Jan

1976 - Jan

1974 - Jan

1972 - Jan

1970 - Jan

3. Unemployment has returned to pre-crisis levels
Percent
12

10

8

6

4

2

3

Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Male

Total

30
2016 - Jan

Female

2014 - Jan

60

2012 - Jan

66

2010 - Jan

70

2008 - Jan

67

2006 - Jan

80

2004 - Jan

90

2002 - Jan

Percent

2000 - Jan

2015 - Jan

2011 - Jan

40

2007 - Jan

50

2003 - Jan

1999 - Jan

1995 - Jan

1991 - Jan

1987 - Jan

1983 - Jan

1979 - Jan

1975 - Jan

1971 - Jan

1967 - Jan

1963 - Jan

4. Labor force participation rate has stabilized
Percent

68

Total

65

64

63

62

61

4

5. Household and business surveys indicate a healthy job market
Jobs Plentiful

Source: Surveys database, Conference Board/Haver Analytics.

2015 - Apr

2013 - Apr

2011 - Apr

2009 - Apr

2007 - Apr

2005 - Apr

2003 - Apr

2001 - Apr

1993 - Apr

2016 - Jan

2013 - Jan

0
2010 - Jan

-60
2007 - Jan

10

2004 - Jan

-40
2001 - Jan

20

1998 - Jan

-20

1995 - Jan

30

1992 - Jan

0

1989 - Jan

40

1986 - Jan

20

1983 - Jan

50

1980 - Jan

40

1999 - Apr

60

1997 - Apr

60

NFIB-Jobs Hard to Fill

Index

1995 - Apr

Index

Source: Surveys database, National Federation of Independent Businesses
5
(NFIB)/Haver Analytics.

6. The expansion in context of the past
Percent change
from trough

160

2.0
1.0

150
140

1982

130
120

1970
1954

1958

110

-2.0

2009

5

9

13 17 21 25 29
Quarters from trough

33

1949

-5.0

37

Source: Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis.

1975

1954

1991
1960

-4.0
-6.0

1

1958

-3.0

1975

2002

2002

-1.0
1991

1949

1970

0.0

1960

100

Unemployment Rate

Percentage point
change from trough

Real GDP

2009
1982

1

5

9

13

17

21

25

29

33

37

Quarters from trough
Source: Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.

6

7. The expansion in international context
Percent change
from trough
120

Percentage point
change from trough
5

Real GDP

Unemployment Rate

4

115

3
U.S.

U.K.

110

Euro area

2
1
0

Japan

105

U.K.

Euro area

100

-1

Japan

-2
U.S.

-3
-4

95
2009

2011

2013

2015

-5
2009

2011

Source: Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development, Economic Outlook No. 99, June 2016.

2013

2015
7

8. GDP growth has slowed over time
Percent change

5

Decade average
5-year average

4
3
2

Source: Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis.

2015

2010

2005

2000

1995

1990

1985

1980

1975

0

1970

1

8

9. Labor force has slowed
Percent change

4

Decade average
5-year average

3

2

Source: Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.

2015

2010

2005

2000

1995

1990

1985

1980

1975

0

1970

1

9

10. The population is aging
Ratio of those aged 65 and over to
working-age population
0.45
0.40
0.35
0.30
0.25
2016

0.20
0.15
0.10
0.05

Source. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau.

2060

2050

2040

2030

2020

2010

2000

1990

1980

1970

1960

0.00

10

11. Labor productivity growth is low
Percent, 5-year average
4.0
3.5
3.0
2.5
2.0
1.5
1.0

2015:Q1

2012:Q1

2009:Q1

2006:Q1

2003:Q1

2000:Q1

1997:Q1

1994:Q1

1991:Q1

1988:Q1

1985:Q1

1982:Q1

1979:Q1

1976:Q1

1973:Q1

0.0

1970:Q1

0.5

Source: Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
11

12. Productivity slowdown is global
6

GDP per hour worked in OECD countries (growth rates, percent)

5
4
3
2
1
0
-1

Spain

Israel

New Zealand

Portugal

Difference
Switzerland

Mexico

Canada

Italy

2005-14
Belgium

Australia

Germany

Chile

Denmark

Netherlands

1995-2004
Luxembourg

France

Hungary

Iceland

Czech Republic

Turkey

Korea

United Kingdom

Sweden

Finland

Poland

Ireland

Norway

Greece

-4

↑

Japan

-3

United States

-2

Source: Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, GDP per hour worked (indicator), https://data.oecd.org/lprdty/gdp-per-hour-worked.htm#indicator-chart.
12

Source: Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, H.15.

4

2

2016 - Q1

2014 - Q1

2012 - Q1

2010 - Q1

10

2008 - Q1

12

2006 - Q1

14

2004 - Q1

2002 - Q1

2000 - Q1

1998 - Q1

1996 - Q1

1994 - Q1

1992 - Q1

1990 - Q1

1988 - Q1

1986 - Q1

1984 - Q1

1982 - Q1

1980 - Q1

1978 - Q1

1976 - Q1

1974 - Q1

1972 - Q1

1970 - Q1

13. U.S. interest rates are very low

Percent

20

18

16

10-year Treasury

Federal Funds

8

6

Nov.

0

13

14. Sovereign rates are low around the world
10-year Sovereign Yields
U.K.
U.S.

Nov.

Source: Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Reuters/Haver Analytics.

2015 - Q1

2013 - Q1

2011 - Q1

2009 - Q1

2007 - Q1

2003 - Q1

2001 - Q1

1999 - Q1

2005 - Q1

Germany

Japan

1997 - Q1

1995 - Q1

Percent
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
-1

14