Module 3: Finance & Accounting (Lecture Slides 5-8) Flashcards
What is money?
Object that is portable, divisible, durable, and stable, and that serves as a medium of exchange, a store of value, and a measure of worth
What are the three functions of money?
- Medium of exchange
- Store of value
- Measure of worth
What problem does bartering pose?
The coincidence of wants. Bartering relies on both parties agreeing to the value of two objects based on want. Money is stable, durable and portable.
What led to money? (5)
Familial relationships → Tribal relationships → Debt or duty → Tally stick/beads or written records of debts → Precious metal money
Familial relationships and tribal relationships had a ___ economy rather than an ___ economy.
gift, exchange
There is little evidence for actual use of ___.
barter
During tally stick/beads or written records of debts times, records were sometimes denominated in…
cows or grain.
What is the concept of money supply?
How much “money” (however defined) is in circulation
What is M-1?
Measure of the money supply that includes only the most liquid (spendable) forms of money
What is currency/cash?
Government-issued paper money and metal coins
What is a check?
Demand deposit order instructing a bank to pay a given sum to a specified payee
What is a checking account or demand deposit?
Bank account funds, owned by the depositor, that may be withdrawn at any time by check or cash
What is M-2?
Measure of the money supply that includes all the components of M-1 plus the forms of money that can be easily converted into spendable forms
What is a time deposit?
Bank funds that have a fixed term of time to maturity and cannot be withdrawn earlier or transferred by check
What is a money market mutual fund?
Fund of short-term, low-risk financial securities purchased with the pooled assets of investor-owners
What is the reason to track money supply?
Excessive growth in the money supply can lead to inflation.
What damps down inflation?
However, if the economy is producing less than capacity (“slack” - the gap between the capital and labor that could be employed productively, but isn’t) this will tend to damp down inflation as prices for goods and services cannot rise while there is oversupply.
What are commercial banks?
A company that accepts deposits that it uses to make loans, earn profits, pay interest to depositors, and pay dividends to owners. They have a wide variety of services.
What are the three major types of savings institutions?
- Savings and Loan Associations (S&L) are investor owned and focused on mortgages.
- Mutual Savings Banks are depositor owned.
- Credit Unions are non-profit cooperatives that focus on services to the group.
What are 7 financial services provided by banks?
- Checking Accounts
- Deposit Accounts
- Certificates of Deposit
- Credit Cards
- Loans
- Mortgages
- Individual Retirement Account (IRA)
What is the prime rate?
Interest rate available to a bank’s most creditowrthy customers
What are the two “fun facts” about the prime rate?
- All time low was 1.5% in the mid-1930s to 1947 (aftermath of Great Depression)
- All time high was 20.5%, the last week in May 1981
Within parameters set by the Federal Reserve, United States banks have a role in increasing the money supply by…
lending out money that savers deposit.
What is a reserve requirement?
The percentage of any deposit that a bank must retain
What is significant about the remaining of any deposit in a bank?
The bank can lend that money.
The remaining of any deposit the bank can lend. This creates ___ ___.
new money
How does lending the remains of deposits make new money? (2)
See Figure 16.4.
- The original depositor’s checking balance counts in M-1
- The borrower’s cash in hand also counts within M-1
So essentially, the bank counts deposits and money to lend in their total supply, even though there is an overlap in money.
Figure 16.4 is an example of…
fractional reserve banking.
What is the alternative to fractional reserve banking?
Full reserve banking, where deposits can only be loaned out if they are over the time period of the loan.
What is a bank run? Walk me through such a scenario (3 steps).
When depositors lose faith in a bank or a financial institution’s ability to repay their money.
- They all run to the bank to try to get cash out of their accounts at the same time.
- The bank only has 10% reserve requirement immediately available.
- Bank fails and city panics.
Does full reserve banking have bank runs?
No, but it is more costly
What does the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) do? What is its further relevance? (5)
- Preserves confidence by supervising banks and insuring deposits in banks and thrift institutions
- Commercial banks pay membership feeds to FDIC
- Guarantees the safety of all deposits (CDs, checking and savings) of every account owner up to the current maximum of $250,000 per bank
- Stocks and mutual funds are not insured
- Maintains the right to examine the activities and accounts for all member banks
What is a pension fund?
Nondeposit pool of funds managed to provide retirement income for its members
What is an insurance company?
Nondeposit institution that invests funds collected as premiums charged for insurance coverage
What are finance companies?
A company concerned primarily with providing money, as for short-term loans.
What is a broker-dealer?
A person or firm in the business of buying and selling securities
What is the Federal Reserve System?
Also known as the Fed, the Federal Reserve System is the central bank o the United States which acts as the government’s bank, serves member commercial banks, and controls the nation’s money supply
How many districts does the Federal Reserve have?
12
What Federal Reserve district is California in?
12
What is the structure of the Fed? (5 parts)
- Board of Governors
- Reserve Banks
- Open Market Committee
- Member Banks
- Other Depository Institutions
What are the four functions of the Fed?
- The Government’s Bank
- The Bankers’ Bank
- Check Clearing
- Controlling the Money Supply
How does the Fed control the money supply?
- Reserve Equipment (to print money)
- Discount Rate/Federal Funds Rate (Key Rate)
- Open-Market Operations
What is fiscal policy?
How much the government spends vs. how much it raises in taxes
If the government spends more than it taxes, the fiscal policy is…
expansionary.
If the government taxes more than it spends, the fiscal policy is…
deflationary.
What is monetary policy?
How much money the government or central bank allows to be in circulation
If the money supply is increasing, the monetary policy is…
expansionary.
If the money supply is decreasing, the monetary policy is…
deflationary.
The Federal Reserve has a ___ mandate.
dual
What is in the Federal Reserve’s dual mandate?
- Achieve price stability (low or no inflation)
2. Maximize employment
What is a mandate?
A statement of what the Fed has to do, and a statement that it has the authority to act to achieve its aims. In this case, the mandate was given in 1977 by Congress.
Monetary policy manages the nation’s economic growth by managing ___ ___ and ___ ___.
money supply, interest rates
By controlling money supply and interest rates, the Fed influences…
the ability and willingness of banks throughout the country to loan money
The Federal Reserve manages ___ policy.
monetary
The Treasury manages ___ policy.
fiscal
What are the four things important to know about fiscal policy?
- Tax compared to spending
- Decided politically by Congress
- Managed by the Treasury
- Bond operations executed by the Bureau of the Fiscal Service
What are the three things important to know about monetary policy?
- Management of money supply and interest rates
- Managed by the Federal Reserve
- Operates under more of a political consensus
What is a reserve requirement?
Percentage of its deposits that a bank must hold in cash or on deposit with the Fed
What is a discount rate?
Interest rate at which member banks can borrow money from the Fed
What is the federal funds rate (key rate)?
Interest rate at which commercial banks lend reserves to each other, usually overnight
What are open-market operations?
The Fed’s sale and purchase of securities in the open market.