In January 2013, the Bank set the price stability target of 2 percent and jointly committed with the government to achieve this goal. Prior to this, the Bank had judged that the price stability goal was in a positive range of 2 percent or lower and had set a goal at 1 percent for the time being.
Firms' and shareholders' reduced appetite for (and assessment of) risk Investment could be held back if firms have become more risk averse or if they have reassessed the likelihood of bad outcomes. While it is difficult to differentiate between these two, there are some signs that suggest that one or both have changed post-crisis.