These thresholds will, as a consequence, allow private-sector expectations of the federal funds rate to fulfill an important “automatic stabilizer” function for the economy.
If the recovery is stronger than expected, the public should anticipate that one or both of the  10  See Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (2012), “Federal Reserve Issues FOMC Statement of Longer-Run Goals and Policy Strategy,” press release, January 25. 11  See “Statement on Longer-Run Goals and Monetary Policy Strategy (PDF),” as amended effective January 29, 2013.