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Accessible Version
Advance release of table 1 of the Summary of Economic Projections to be
released with the FOMC minutes
Percent
Central tendency1
Variable
Change in real GDP
December projection
Unemployment rate
December projection
PCE inflation
December projection

2013

2014

2015

Range2
Longer
run
2.3 to 2.5
2.3 to 2.5
5.2 to 6.0
5.2 to 6.0
2.0
2.0

2013

2014

2015

Longer
run
2.0 to 3.0
2.2 to 3.0
5.0 to 6.0
5.0 to 6.0
2.0
2.0

2.3 to 2.8 2.9 to 3.4 2.9 to 3.7
2.0 to 3.0 2.6 to 3.8 2.5 to 3.8
2.3 to 3.0 3.0 to 3.5 3.0 to 3.7
2.0 to 3.2 2.8 to 4.0 2.5 to 4.2
7.3 to 7.5 6.7 to 7.0 6.0 to 6.5
6.9 to 7.6 6.1 to 7.1 5.7 to 6.5
7.4 to 7.7 6.8 to 7.3 6.0 to 6.6
6.9 to 7.8 6.1 to 7.4 5.7 to 6.8
1.3 to 1.7 1.5 to 2.0 1.7 to 2.0
1.3 to 2.0 1.4 to 2.1 1.6 to 2.6
1.3 to 2.0 1.5 to 2.0 1.7 to 2.0
1.3 to 2.0 1.4 to 2.2 1.5 to 2.2
3
1.5 to 1.6 1.7 to 2.0 1.8 to 2.1
1.5 to 2.0 1.5 to 2.1 1.7 to 2.6
Core PCE inflation
December projection 1.6 to 1.9 1.6 to 2.0 1.8 to 2.0
1.5 to 2.0 1.5 to 2.0 1.7 to 2.2
Note: Projections of change in real gross domestic product (GDP) and projections for both measures of inflation are
from the fourth quarter of the previous year to the fourth quarter of the year indicated. PCE inflation and core PCE
inflation are the percentage rates of change in, respectively, the price index for personal consumption expenditures
(PCE) and the price index for PCE excluding food and energy. Projections for the unemployment rate are for the
average civilian unemployment rate in the fourth quarter of the year indicated. Each participant's projections are based
on his or her assessment of appropriate monetary policy. Longer-run projections represent each participant's
assessment of the rate to which each variable would be expected to converge under appropriate monetary policy and
in the absence of further shocks to the economy. The December projections were made in conjunction with the
meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee on December 11-12, 2012.
1. The central tendency excludes the three highest and three lowest projections for each variable in each year. Return
to table
2. The range for a variable in a given year includes all participants' projections, from lowest to highest, for that
variable in that year. Return to table
3. Longer-run projections for core PCE inflation are not collected. Return to table

Figure 1. Central tendencies and ranges of economic projections, 2013-15
and over the longer run
Central tendencies and ranges of economic projections for years 2013 through 2015 and over the longer run. Actual
values for years 2008 through 2012.

Change in real GDP
Percent
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Longer Run
Actual
(3.3) (0.1) 2.4 2.0 1.6 Upper End of Range
3.0 3.8 3.8 3.0
Upper End of Central Tendency 2.8 3.4 3.7 2.5
Lower End of Central Tendency 2.3 2.9 2.9 2.3
Lower End of Range
2.0 2.6 2.5 2.0
Unemployment rate
Percent
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Longer Run
Actual
6.9 9.9 9.5 8.7 7.8 Upper End of Range
7.6 7.1 6.5 6.0
Upper End of Central Tendency 7.5 7.0 6.5 6.0
Lower End of Central Tendency 7.3 6.7 6.0 5.2
Lower End of Range
6.9 6.1 5.7 5.0
PCE inflation
Percent
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Longer Run
Actual
1.7 1.4 1.5 2.5 1.6 Upper End of Range
2.0 2.1 2.6 2.0
Upper End of Central Tendency 1.7 2.0 2.0 2.0
Lower End of Central Tendency 1.3 1.5 1.7 2.0
Lower End of Range
1.3 1.4 1.6 2.0
Note: Definitions of variables are in the general note to the projections table. The data for the actual values of the
variables are annual.

Figure 2. Overview of FOMC participants' assessments of appropriate
monetary policy, March 2013
Appropriate timing of policy firming
2013 2014 2015 2016
Number of participants 1
4
13 1
Note: In the upper panel, the height of each bar denotes the number of FOMC participants who judge that, under
appropriate monetary policy, the first increase in the target federal funds rate from its current range of 0 to ¼ percent
will occur in the specified calendar year. In December 2012, the numbers of FOMC participants who judged that the
first increase in the target federal funds rate would occur in 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016 were, respectively, 2, 3, 13,
and 1.
Appropriate pace of policy firming
Number of participants with projected targets

Target federal funds rate at year-end
2013 2014 2015 Longer Run
(Percent)
0.25
18 14 1
0.50
1
7
0.75
1
1.00
1
2
2
1.25
4
1.50
1.75
1
2.00
1
2.25
2.50
2.75
1
3.00
1
3.25
1
3.50
2
3.75
1
1
4.00
9
4.25
3
4.50
1
3
Note: In the lower panel, each shaded circle indicates the value (rounded to the nearest ¼ percentage point) of an
individual participant's judgment of the appropriate level of the target federal funds rate at the end of the specified
calendar year or over the longer run.