Has the Federal Reserve’s 2 percent inflation goal become, for all intents and purposes, unattainable? That may not be as far-fetched as it sounds. Eliminate food and fuel, and the price index tied to consumer spending has met or exceeded such a target just 26 percent of the time in the past two decades. During that span, the world’s largest economy has experienced booms in technology and housing, indicating periods of strong growth haven’t stoked sustained cost pressures. Technological advances such as hydraulic fracturing in oil fields, online commerce and mobile phone applications have created a stubbornly low ... (full story)