Chart shows FOMC word count in Bernanke, Yellen statements

When Ben Bernanke was chair of the Federal Reserve, the statements released by the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) gradually became wordy. When Janet Yellen took over the reins of the United States central bank, the FOMC statements have become less wordy.

The chart was compiled by CNBC.

Here is what the business news outlet wrote:

“Readability continues to be an issue. No statement from either Bernanke or Yellen clocked in within a high-school level, according to our analysis. They’ve averaged a grade level of 15, which is equivalent to a junior in college. That means that even if the public chooses to read them, a lot of people wouldn’t be able to figure out what’s going on.

“If one of the goals of releasing a post-meeting statement is to inform the public about policy decisions the board is making, the Fed may want to consider scaling down both the length and language to a level that people can understand.”