1. Short answer questions (a) What role do banks have in the process of creating money? Explain how a decrease in the reserve-deposit ratio affects the level of money supply. (2 marks) Banks create money under a system of fractional reserve banking which the bank takes deposit from public and only keeps a certain percentage of deposits in vaults. Thus, these deposits are lent out as loans to the people and as time goes by, those loans will end up being deposited back to the bank again. Hence, the process continues until the desired reserve-deposit ratio is achieved. So if the reserved-deposit ratio is decreased, it means that banks can create more money by lending out more money than initial reserve ratio to make more loans. Therefore, more money will be deposited back into the banking system and money will be multiplied and created into a larger amount. (b) What is the textbook version of Okun’s Law? What are the difficulties associated with estimating this version of Okun’s Law? (2 marks) Okun’s Law is the relationship between unemployment rate and its gross domestic product. The difficulties associated with Okun’s Law are the natural rate of unemployment and potential output cannot be observed. Also, the difficulty lies on the fluctuations in output over time where they are too complicated for this version of Okun’s Law. 2. AD-AS Model Consider the AD-AS model discussed in lectures. Suppose the economy begins in a short run equilibrium with output equal to
The system allows the money supply to grow by allowing backs to act as financial intermediaries and provide longer term loans. Because banks hold less money amount than what is deposited and because deposit liabilities are considered money fractional reserve banking allows money supply to grow beyond the amount of money that was originally created by a central bank.
For centuries, banks have relied on fractional reserve banking. This is the method in which only a fraction of a bank’s deposits are actually backed by a reserve of cash-on-hand, available for immediate withdrawal. This procedure allows the bank more capital to lend and at the same time, grows the economy. The reserve amounts are determined by a ratio stipulated by the Federal Reserve. In theory, fractional reserve banking works most of the time. However, in difficult economic times, people have demanded to withdraw
Also known as Cash Reserve Ratio, it is the percentage of deposits which commercial banks are required to keep as cash according to the directions of the central bank. (Times) . When a bank is left with excess reserves they can do a federal refund and lend money to other banks that might be running low on reserves. The reserve ratio is applied when the bank is low on the amount of reserves it has, at this time the bank is than forced to reduce checkable deposits while reducing its money supply. In some cases is also may need to increase its reserves. The bank can increase its reserves by selling bonds, which would also lower the money supply in the
15. What is the primary role of the Federal Reserve? What is the significance of this role?
Using Sources A, B, and C and your own knowledge account for the founding of the U.S. Federal Reserve and analyze how its role in economic policy has developed since then.
The U.S. banking system creates money by allocating the excess reserves from a deposit at creating a loan from the Home Bank. In other words, say I deposit a $100.00 in Bank #1, where Bank #1 is able to lend out some of my money to another customer. So, Bank #1by law needs to hold 10% of what I deposited which is known as required reserves. Therefore, the required reserves of my $100 is $10. So, Bank#1 is able to provide a $90 loan to another customer, which we will name Moe, from my $100. Then, Moe will turn around and spend that money which will eventually make its way to another bank, which we will call Bank #2. So, Bank #2 will be able to loan out $81 of Moe’s $90 yet, Bank #2 is still required to keep 10% which is required reserves, which is $9 of the $90.
After the Revolutionary War, many of the country’s citizens were in great debit and there was widespread economic disruption. The country was in need of an economic overhaul and the new country’s leaders would need to decide how to do this to ensure the new country did not fall apart. After two unsuccessful attempts at a national banking system, the Federal Reserve System was created by the Federal Reserve Act of 1913. Since its inception, the Federal Reserve System has evolved into a central banking system that grows with the country. The Federal Reserve System provides this country with a central bank that is able to pursue consistent monetary policies. My goal in this paper is to help the reader to understand why the Federal
Describe the Federal Reserve System. How is it structured? How does it work? What is its role in the economic policy? Cite one example where Fed policy was applied and what was its impact on the economy.
The Federal Reserve System was created by Congress in 1913 and passed the Federal Reserve Act in order to provide for a safer and more flexible banking and monetary system. According to the changing needs of the system, its objectives have been changing throughout the history of the Fed. At first, “its original purposes were to give the country an elastic currency, provide facilities for discounting commercial credits, and improve the supervision of the banking system under a decentralized bank.” (The Federal Reserve System, 1984, 1). Prior to its establishment (the Fed), the supply of bank credit and money was inelastic, thus resulting in an irregular flow of credit and money, and contributed to unstable economic development. These objectives were aspects economic policies and national monetary. However, through time, stability and growth of the economy, high employment levels, stability in the purchasing power of the dollar, and reasonable balance in transactions with foreign currencies have become to be recognized as primary objectives of the governmental economic policy.
Money makes the world go round. We use it for just about anything, for example, paying bills, buying toys for the kids, getting the holiday ingredients for the family secret recipe, and we even use it as a gift for others. It adds value to some yet adds less to others. But what would happen if the supply of money was to suddenly decrease..or increase? Every bit of money you spend or receive is part of a complex organization known as the Federal Reserve System. The Federal Reserve System acts somewhat like the banks of all banks within the United States that controls our money supply by setting interest rates that can affect our economy. Determining how much you can buy or if you should buy now. The federal reserve should set a fixed interest
United States Federal Reserve system, also known as Federal Reserve or simply “Fed” is the United States central banking system. The Federal Reserve took inception in 1913, after the adoption of the Federal Reserve Act. The United States Congress has mandated three macroeconomic objectives to the Federal Reserve. These are minimum levels of unemployment, prices stability and keeping in check the rates of interests. Over the years, the role of Federal Reserve has expanded. It now formulates the country’s monetary policies, conducts supervision and regulation of the banking institutions, maintenance of the financial
One form of direct control can be exercised by adjusting the legal reserve ratio (the proportion of its deposits that a member bank must hold in its reserve account), and as a result, increasing or decreasing the amount of new loans that the commercial banks can make. Because loans give rise to new deposits, the possible money supply is, in this way, expanded or reduced. This policy tool has not been used too much in recent years. The money supply may also be influenced through manipulation of the discount rate, which is the rate if interest charged by the Federal Reserve banks on short-term secured loans to member banks. Since these loans are typically sought to maintain reserves at their required level, an increase in the cost of such loans has an effect similar to that of increasing the reserve requirement. The classic method of indirect control is through open-market operations, first widely used in the 1920s and now used daily to make some adjustment to the market. Federal Reserve bank sales or purchases of securities on the open market tend to reduce or increase the size of commercial bank reserves. When the Federal Reserve sells securities, the purchasers pay for them with checks drawn on their deposits, thereby reducing the reserves of the banks on which the checks are drawn. The three instruments of control explained above have been conceded to be more effective in preventing inflation in times of high economic activity than in bringing about revival from a
They must purchase capital stock in their District Reserve Bank, entitling them to a six percent stock dividend, thus issuing them the right to vote for six of the nine Directors of that District Bank. Within this structure there was the Monetary Control Act of 1980 which imposed a reserve requirement on all depository institutions, which allows them to borrow and receive other services from the Fed. This remains beneficial because by enabling banks to borrow reserves from the Reserve Banks the liquidity of the entire banking system is increased.
This involves buying or selling financial instruments like bonds in exchange of money to be deposited with the central bank. By selling the financial instruments, the central bank mops up the cash in circulation. On the other hand, selling injects money thus increasing the supply of money (Bernanke 2006).
The unemployment rate is also affected by monetary policy. “Unemployment that is above the natural rate involves great economic and social costs.” (McConnell & Brue, 2004). GDP GAP and OKun’s Law. McConnell and Brue define this as “when the economy fails to create enough jobs for all who are able and willing to work, potential production of goods and services