Why? The two mandates for the FED is "full" employment and inflation under control. How long do you have to run a low IR experiment to realize that it is not working as far as employment is concerned? To me, it is inflation that is the wild card. I seriously have no idea what the FED thinks inflation is. I have come to a cursory conclusion that prices could be even higher than they are now, but if employment was kept low, they would not deem that [bad] inflation. They are only worried about inflation when it comes from workers driving prices higher, not speculators/the market....
"The High Costs of Very Low Interest Rates
The prevailing view among economists, policy makers and Federal Reserve Board governors is that a zero or near-zero short-term interest rate stimulates the economyâthe lower the rate, the better. It is time to re-examine this conventional wisdom. In fact, lowering interest rates too much may not stimulate recovery, but actually slow it. Yes, there are benefits from zero rates, but not nearly enough to outweigh their pernicious consequences..."
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB100...876165452.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_LEFTTopOpinion
"The Fed Can't Solve Our Economic Woes
A policy of low interest rates is a textbook response of monetary authorities to the economic weakness brought on by deficient aggregate demand. The policy is justified by pointing to various ways in which money can promote economic activityâincluding by stimulating investment, discouraging savings, encouraging consumption spending, and allowing individuals to lower their debt burdens by refinancing existing debt. While these effects are theoretically plausible, this textbook policy does not apply to our present situation..."
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB100...418964014417740.html?mod=WSJ_newsreel_opinion