For this week in 2305 as we begin to look at economic policy:
- Here's a link to the page.
Some highlights:
- Here's a link to the page.
Some highlights:
What is monetary policy? The term "monetary policy" refers to what the Federal Reserve, the nation's central bank, does to influence the amount of money and credit in the U.S. economy. What happens to money and credit affects interest rates (the cost of credit) and the performance of the U.S. economy.
What is inflation and how does it affect the economy? Inflation is a sustained increase in the general level of prices, which is equivalent to a decline in the value or purchasing power of money. If the supply of money and credit increases too rapidly over time, the result could be inflation.
What are the goals of monetary policy? The goals of monetary policy are to promote maximum employment, stable prices and moderate long-term interest rates. By implementing effective monetary policy, the Fed can maintain stable prices, thereby supporting conditions for long-term economic growth and maximum employment.
What are the tools of monetary policy? The Federal Reserve’s three instruments of monetary policy are open market operations, the discount rate and reserve requirements.
Open market operations involve the buying and selling of government securities. The term “open market” means that the Fed doesn’t decide on its own which securities dealers it will do business with on a particular day. Rather, the choice emerges from an “open market” in which the various securities dealers that the Fed does business with – the primary dealers – compete on the basis of price. Open market operations are flexible, and thus, the most frequently used tool of monetary policy.
The discount rate is the interest rate charged by Federal Reserve Banks to depository institutions on short-term loans.
Reserve requirements are the portions of deposits that banks must maintain either in their vaults or on deposit at a Federal Reserve Bank.
