Inflation of zero is just as good for encouraging spending as small positive inflation -- the rate you&#x27;ll get by low-risk investing will always beat inflation by a bit.<p>But the moment inflation dips below zero it really starts discouraging spending.<p>So I suspect it&#x27;s about having a margin for error. Target zero and it will spend a lot of time negative, target mildly positive and it will spend most of its time mildly positive.