The equity-premium puzzle is not the only aspect of the behavior of financial asset prices that is difficult to reconcile with economic theory or experience in related markets. A second puzzle is the "credit-spread puzzle."
This, in turn, will ensure the economy functions smoothly, facilitate firms’ long-term planning and stimulate investment. For these reasons, maintaining price stability is an explicit and overriding monetary policy objective in the euro area, as enshrined in the Treaty establishing the European Community.