Why Fed 's Latest Interest Rate Strategy Won 't Have Much Effect By Michael Sivy

Using quantitative easing has helped the recovery of the USA and other developing countries. The Fed’s then limited their ability to pursue more measures, but congress ignored those appeals to help support the economy. The Fed’s decided to use smaller steps to help investor expectations and to prevent a possible financial crisis in Europe. In 2011 it was announced that the FED’s would hold short-term interest rates close to zero percent through 2013; to help support the economy. Soon after it was announced that using the “twist” operation would push long-term interest rates down, by purchasing $400 billion in long-term treasury securities with profits from the sale of the short-term government debt. Inaugurating a policy to help shape market expectations, which will raise interest rates at the end of 2014.

Our economy is a machine that is ran by humans. A machine can only be as good as the person who makes it. This makes our economy susceptible to human error. A couple years ago the United States faced one of the greatest financial crisis since the Great Depression, which was the Great Recession. The Great Recession was a severe economic downturn that occurred in 2008 following the burst of the housing market. The government tried passing bills to see if anything would help it from becoming another Great Depression. Trying to aid the government was the Federal Reserve. The Federal Reserve went through a couple strategies in order to help the economy recover. The Federal Reserve provided three major strategies to start moving the economy in a better direction. The first strategy was primarily focused on the central bank’s role of the lender of last resort. The second strategy was meant to provide provision of liquidity directly to borrowers and investors in key credit markets. The last strategy was for the Federal Reserve to expand its open market operations to support the credit markets still working, as well as trying to push long term interest rates down. Since time has passed on since the Great Recession it has been a long road. In this essay we will take a time to reflect on these strategies to see how they helped.

During the Federal Reserve meeting in April 2016, the range was left unchanged for federal funds at 0.25 percent to 0.5 percent (TRADING ECONOMICS, 2016). Labor markets experience growth confirmed by policy makers, yet economic activity was monitored as being slow (TRADING ECONOMICS, 2016). The risks associated with the financial developments of the country have ceased (TRADING ECONOMICS, 2016). The average percentage of interest rate in the U.S. averaged at 5.8. March of 1980 a record high was recorded at 20% (TRADING ECONOMICS, 2016). The lowest interest rates were recorded in the month of December 2008 at 0.25% (TRADING ECONOMICS, 2016).

The aim of this paper is to describe the most used Federal Reserve monetary tools and activities. To further entail other requirements, this paper is aimed to at least 2-page length, font size 12, double spaced, Bookman Old Style font, and lastly include a reference list.

The Federal Reserve’s goal is to keep the national inflation rate at 2 percent. This change is seen when buying groceries. The price of milk goes from $2 to $2.04. This can prove costly when the 2 percent is added over time. So, why is inflation out pacing minimum wage? The answer, because it will do harm to employees and business owners.

The Federal Reserve System, initially created to subdue banking panics, has now adopted numerous responsibilities like encouraging a sound banking system and a healthy economy. To delegate these responsibilities, the FED has been divided up into a power diffusing

Over the past decade, the Fed has responded fairly to inflation and unemployment. According to the Federal Reserve (2017), between late 2008 (the era of the Great Recession) and October 2014, the Federal Reserve purchased longer-term mortgage-backed securities and notes issued by certain government-sponsored enterprises, as well as longer-term Treasury bonds and notes. In essence, lowering the level of longer-term interest rates and improving financial conditions (the Fed.com, 2017).

To stabilize the economy bonds are used which release money into the market. The responsibility of the Central Bank is to maintain the health of the banking system and regulating the purchase and sale of bonds. The interest rates are controlled to balance the markets. According to the Monetary Policy Report to Congress, “The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) maintained a target range of 0 to ¼ percent for the federal funds rate throughout the second half of 2009 and early 2010” while representing forecasted economic decisions to rationalize low levels for longer times on the federal funds rate (Federal Reserve, 2010). Purchases were still being made by the Fed’s to result in improvements to the economy through focusing on mortgages, the real estate market, and the credit market. Predictions by the Federal Open Market Committee depicted low levels on the federal funds rates in early 2010 which would continue for some time while over time the economy would see growth, a rise in inflation, and a decline in unemployment. Feds were in agreement though they expected the recovery process to be slower. Purchases by the Federal reserve were slowed, “$300 billion of Treasury securities were completed by October” and “the purchases of $1.25 trillion of MBS and about $175 billion of agency debt” were suppose to be finished the first quarter of 2010 (Federal Reserve, 2010).

With that said the basic function of the FED relates primarily to the maintenance of monetary and credit conditions favorable to sound business activity in all fields; agricultural, industrial and commercial. Among this some duties include the following: lending to member banks, open market operations, establishing discount rates, fixing reserve requirements and issuing regulations concerning these and other functions. Each Federal Reserve Bank is best described as a Bankers Bank. In a nutshell, member banks use their reserve accounts with their reserve banks similar to the way we use our own checking account. They may deposit in the reserve accounts the checks on other banks and surplus currency received from their customers, and they may withdrawal on the reserve. Thus a bank with excess in the reserve requirements can enlarge its extension of credit (loans). However, let's not forget that the Fed has the

The Federal Reserve uses two other types of tools besides the open market operations (OMO), and they are the discount rates and reserve requirements. The FOMC is responsible for the OMO and the discount rate and reserve requirements are taken care by the Federal Reserve System’s Board of Governors. The three fundamental tools can influenced the demand and supply of and the balances that depository institution hold which can result in the change in federal funds rate.

How will Trump affect interest rates? Trump can improve the overall condition of the economy by guiding the

Just a few days ago, the Federal Reserve increased the federal funds rate from 1.25% to 1.5%. The federal funds rate is one method that the Federal Reserve uses to control monetary policy. The other methods used by the Fed to control monetary policy are open-market operations, and the discount window. The federal funds rate is defined as the interest rate that banks charge each other to lend reserve funds. The federal funds rate is usually than the discount rate so that banks are more inclined to go to other banks first, rather than the Fed. During the recession in 2008, the federal funds rate was near 0 in the hopes that banks would lend more, and the economy would be kickstarted. However, as the effects of the

At the end of the recession from 2001-2004, a period that no economic growth, the Federal Reserve recommend that interest rates stay as low as possible. The idea behind this thought was that lower interest rates would attract people to investment in housing, business loans and other areas of economic growth. The idea worked, as more and more potential homeowners entered the market, brought in by the perception that they could afford to pay monthly mortgage rates. However, in 2004, the price of oil started to rise, and the Fed responded by gradually increasing interest rates (Beese, 2008).

This has the effect of bringing down interest rates, injecting money into the economy, and thus encouraging borrowing and spending. However, when interest rates are at or near zero and the economy still requires stimulus (a dangerous situation now referred to as a “liquidity trap”) (Blinder 466), central banks must use more extreme methods to resuscitate the economy.

The Federal Reserve expressed concern at the sluggish recovery from the worst down-turns since the great depression. It said it would buy long term treasury bills every month till mid 2011. It also pledged to keep interest rates at low levels for an extended period which is seen as commitment to leave borrowing costs unchanged for at least two years according to Wall Street.