Therefore, any structural macroeconomic movement contributing to the determinations of long-run expected inflation or long-term real interest rates will have a substantial influence on the “level” factor. For instance, in an inflation-targeting monetary regime, the inflation target is a natural anchor of expected long-run inflation, and therefore any changes in the market’s perceptions of the inflation target will directly shift the level of the yield curve. Figure 2 plots the “level” factor and the five-year moving average of core consumer price inflation in the U.S. from 1962 to 2002. Clearly, the two series are quite similar. A simple regression shows that the movement of this inflation measure alone can explain 66% of the variability of the “level” factor in this period. Likewise, long-term changes in the structural economy, for example the technology innovations, will also influence the long-term real interest rates and therefore the level of yield curve.