Benchmark

How Low Can You Go? Economists Game Out U.S. Unemployment Bounds

The natural jobless rate may be lower, but one model suggests it's not by much
Photographer: Bloomberg/Bloomberg
Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

Move over, r-star. There’s a new natural rate coming into focus.

Economists love to talk about natural rates. Put simply, they’re the level economic indicators should be at when growth has reached its potential and inflation is stable, given factors including demographics.