1. The Federal Reserve System and Monetary Policy

2. The Federal Reserve System
Commonly known as the Fed
Created in 1913 as the central banking organization in the United States
Its goal was to provide stability to the economy and end recessions.

3. What does the Fed do? The Fed is responsible for Monetary Policy
Involves changing the rate of growth of the supply of money in circulation in order to affect the cost and availability of credit.

4. Functions of the Fed Regulating the money supply Clearing checks
Acting as the government’s fiscal agent
Supervising Banks
Holding reserves and setting reserve requirements
Supplying paper currency

5. Organization of the Fed
Chairman of the Federal Reserve
Head of the Central Bank
Appointed by the President
Current Chairman: Janet Yellen

6. Organization of the Fed
Board of Governors
Directs operations of the Fed
Seven members appointed by the president and approved by congress
Federal Advisory Council
12 members elected by directors of banks
Federal Open Market Committee
12 members who determine interest rates

7. Organization of the Fed
The nation is divided into 12 Federal Reserve Districts, each with a federal reserve bank.
25 Federal Reserve Branch Banks
All national banks are required to become members of the Federal Reserve System.
Members receive dividends on their stock of the district bank.
Even if a bank is not a member, they must keep their deposit reserves in the Fed district bank.

8. Credit is a service that you pay for with interest.
Monetary Policy
Credit is a service that you pay for with interest.
How do you think the demand for credit is influenced by interest rates?

9. The Law of Demand!
If you charge higher interest rates, people will be less likely to take out loans.
When the Fed keeps interest rates LOW it is called Loose Money Policy
When the Fed makes interest rates HIGH it is called Tight Money Policy

10. Loose Money Policy The Good The Bad Borrowing is easy
Consumers buy more
Businesses expand
More people are employed
People spend more
Inflation
Consumers are more likely to go into debt
Can create economics bubbles (bubbles tend to burst)

11. Tight Money Policy Pros Cons Consumers are less likely to go into debt
Higher interest for banks
Borrowing is difficult and more expensive
Consumers borrow less
Businesses postpone expansion
Production and employment may decrease

12. Fractional Reserve Banking
System in which only a fraction of the deposits in a bank is kept on hand, or in reserve; the remainder is available to lend.
The Fed sets reserve requirements for banks.
Requires banks to keep a certain percentage of the checkable deposits as cash in their own values or as deposits in the Federal Reserve district bank.
What are some benefits of this system?
What are some potential problems?

13. How does this system affect the money supply?
Bank A sells a government bond to the Fed and receives $1000.
If the reserve requirement is only at 20% then Bank A can lend out $800.
The $800 that Bank A lends to a business gets deposited to Bank B.
So the $800 is technically in two places at one time
This process is known as the multiple expansion of the money supply.

14. Regulating the Money Supply
Main goal of the Fed: Keep the economy growing and efficiently control the money supply.
How is this done?
Changing the reserve requirement can affect the amount of money in circulation.
Changing the Federal Funds Rate
Interest rate that banks charge each other on loans.

15. Why would one bank borrow from another?
If a customer makes a large withdrawal, the bank may not have enough money to meet the reserve requirement. (If it doesn’t it will have to pay a fine to the Fed)

16. So what does that bank do?!
Option 1:Take a loan out from the Fed! (The Fed gets to collect interest!)
Option 2: Take a loan from another bank! (The Fed gets to choose the interest rate regardless!)

17. How does the Federal Funds Rate Affect the Economy?
If the Fed drops the rate…
Banks borrow and lend more!
If the Fed raises the rate
Banks will borrow less and raise interest on the funds they lend to make up the lost profit

18. Open-Market Operations
Buying and selling of United States securities by the Fed to affect the money supply
When the Fed buys securities (treasury bills, notes, and bonds) it pays for them by printing its own money. Increases money supply!
When the Fed sells securities the dealers bank will have less money in their reserves and will either have to lend less or borrow more money from the Fed (that they can pay back with interest of course) Decreases the money supply!

19. Criticism of the Federal Reserve
“The Federal Reserve is not currently forecasting a recession”
-Ben Bernanke, Fed Chairman, 2008 (right before the recession)

20. Criticism of the Fed
The Fed has a tendency to promote inflation and debt by keeping the reserve requirements and federal funds rates so low.
Since the creation of the Fed, the dollar has lost 96% of its value.
Because the Fed is run by private bankers, not the government, many people have compared it to a cartel

21. Oooooo Cartel…Sounds Scary…
Say hello to my little interest rate!
Cartel: Formal agreement among competing firms. An organization of producers that agree to fix prices, marketing, and production.
Remember, the Federal Reserve gets to choose the reserve requirements and interest rates at which all banks lend to each other (even if the banks are not members)

22. Criticism of the Fed The Fed has little to no accountability
Leaders of the federal reserve are appointed, not elected. The American people have no say whatsoever on the Fed’s policies.
Because the Fed operates like a corporation, foreign countries and companies can own shares.
The Fed does not have to report to congress or even the president

23. What should be done?

24. Is anybody going to do something!?
Many conservatives believe the Federal reserve should be eliminated and the United States should return to the gold standard to keep the money supply stable.
What kind of money would that be?
Many liberals believe the Federal reserve should operated in a more democratic fashion to make it more accountable to the American people.
Instead the treasury department could be in charge of monetary policy

25. Any chance of this getting done?
Good luck with that…