Exam 2 Flashcards
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York special roles
1.) Its district contains many of the largest commercial banks in the United States
2.) It has active involvement in the bond and foreign exchange markets
3.) It is the only Federal Reserve Bank to be a member of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS)
4.) The president of the FR Bank of New York is the only permanent voting member of the FOMC
Where does the Fed get its income (revenue)?
Government securities
What is the president’s influence on the Fed members?
The president…
1 - appoints governors
2 - appoints chair
3 - can influence FOMC members
How can congress affect the Fed?
They can get rid of the Fed or change its structure
What is the case FOR independence of the Fed? (They are currently independent)
1.) It keeps the Fed independent of political pressures
2.) Political business cycle
3.) Too important to leave to politicians
4.) Accommodation: not independent, need to finance large budget deficits
What is the case AGAINST independence of the Fed?
1.) Undemocratic - an elite group of bankers
2.) Unaccountable - responsible to no one
3.) Hard to coordinate monetary and fiscal policy
Board of Governors - how many members, headquartered where?
7 members headquartered in Washington, D.C.
Board of Governors - how are they appointed?
Appointed by the president, confirmed by the Senate
Board of Governors - what does their term look like?
14 year term, non-renewable
Board of Governors - what are the district requirements?
They are required to come from different districts
Board of Governors - what about the chairman?
The chairman is chosen by the governors and serves a four-year term (renewable)
Board of Governors - duties?
1 - Serve on the open market committee and conduct open market operations
2 - Set reserve requirements
3 - Control the discount rate
4 - Set margin requirements
5 - Sets salaries of the president and officers
6 - Approves bank mergers and acquisitions
7 - Specifies permissible bank activities of bank holding companies
8 - Specifies activities of foreign banks working in the U.S.
Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) - how many members? Meets how many times a year?
12 members (7 Board of Governors members, president of the FR Bank of NY, presidents of 4 (of 11) other reserve banks), 8 times a year
The chairman of the ______ is also the chairman of the ______
Board of Governors, FOMC
What are the three components of the Fed?
1 - The Governors
2 - The FR Banks
3 - The FOMC
What are the four tools of the Fed?
1 - Open Market Operations
2 - Discount Rate
3 - Required reserve rate
4 - Interest on Excess Reserves
What are open market operations?
Buying and selling U.S. treasury bills
What do open market operations do to the interest rates?
Buying T-bills decreases the interest/Fed funds rate
Selling T-bills increases the interest/Fed funds rate
Who sets the required reserve ratio?
The governors
What is the current required reserve ratio?
10% of checkable deposits
Who is the chair of the FOMC and Board of Governors?
Jerome Powell
Where are Flagstaff’s required reserves kept?
San Francisco FR Bank
The Fed controls the _____ _____
Money Supply
Who are the three players in the Money Supply Process?
1 - The Central Bank
2 - Banks
3 - Depositors
The Fed’s Balance Sheet
Liabilities:
1 - Currency in Circulation
2 - Reserves
Assets:
1 - Government Securities
2 - Discount Loans
What is the equation for the Monetary Base?
MB = C + R
C - Currency in circulation
R - Total Reserves
What is the effect of an open market purchase on the monetary base?
Always increases the MB by the amount of the purchase.
What is M1?
M1 = Currency in circulation + Checkable Deposits + Traveler’s Checks
What is the Money Multiplier?
1/required reserve ratio (as decimal)
What are the currency checkable deposit ratio and excess reserves checkable deposit ratio?
c = C/D (currency, checkable deposits)
e = ER/D (excess reserves)
Total reserves equation:
Required reserves equation:
R = RR + ER
RR = r x D (required reserve ratio, checkable deposits)