Yes, Yellen Can Have It All as She Gets Ready to Raise Rates

Low bond yields may help the Fed chair strike a delicate balance

Janet Yellen, chair of the U.S. Federal Reserve, speaks during a news conference following a Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2014.

Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg
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As the job market gains steam, Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen faces a massive challenge to adjust her monetary levers just right: She wants to keep the recovery going without stoking a bubble or spurring inflation. It's a delicate balance that has bedeviled many central bank chiefs in the past.

A dramatic drop in U.S. bond yields over the past year might be just what Yellen needs to strike that balance, according to two International Monetary Fund economists.