Chapter 14: The Money Supply Process Flashcards
Monetary base
the Feds balance sheet
money supply process
the mechanism that determines the level of money supply
three players in the money supply process
- central banks
- banks
- depositors
central bank
the government agency that oversees the banking system and is responsible for the conduct of monetary policy
monetary liabilities of the Fed
currency in circulation and reserves
currency in circulation
the amount of currency in the hands of the public
reserves
deposits at the Fed plus currency that is physically held by banks
assets on the Fed’s balance sheet
securities and loans to financial institutions
Why are the Fed’s liabilities important?
increases in either or both currency in circulation and reserves lead to an increase in money supply
Why are the Fed’s assets important?
lead to changes in reserves and the monetary base which affect the monetary base; also earn higher interest rates than liabilities
Equation for monetary base
MB = C (currency in circulation) + R (total reserves) = Fed’s monetary liabilities + Treasury’s monetary liabilities = MB_N + BR
open market operations
the Fed’s purchases or sales of securities in the open market
open market purchase
a purchase of bonds by the Fed
- increases MB
open market sales
a sale of bonds by the Fed
- decreases MB
primary dealers
government securities dealers who operate out of private banking institutions