Transcript Chapter 25

PART III The Core of Macroeconomic Theory
PRINCIPLES OF
ECONOMICS
E L E V E N T H E D I T I O N
CASE  FAIR  OSTER
PEARSON
© 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall
Prepared by: Fernando Quijano w/Shelly
1 ofTefft
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The Money Supply
and the Federal
Reserve System
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CHAPTER OUTLINE
An Overview of Money
What Is Money?
Commodity and Fiat Monies
Measuring the Supply of Money in the United States
The Private Banking System
How Banks Create Money
A Historical Perspective: Goldsmiths
The Modern Banking System
The Creation of Money
The Money Multiplier
The Federal Reserve System
Functions of the Federal Reserve
Expanded Fed Activities Beginning in 2008
The Federal Reserve Balance Sheet
How the Federal Reserve Controls the Money Supply
The Required Reserve Ratio
The Discount Rate
Open Market Operations
Excess Reserves and the Supply Curve for Money
Looking Ahead
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An Overview of Money
What Is Money?
Money is a means of payment, a store of value, and a unit of account.
A Means of Payment, or Medium of Exchange
barter The direct exchange of goods and services for other goods and
services.
A barter system requires a double coincidence of wants for trade to take place.
That is, to effect a trade, you have to find someone who has what you want and
that person must also want what you have.
medium of exchange, or means of payment What sellers generally accept
and buyers generally use to pay for goods and services.
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A Store of Value
store of value An asset that can be used to transport purchasing power from
one time period to another.
liquidity property of money The property of money that makes it a good
medium of exchange as well as a store of value: It is portable and readily
accepted and thus easily exchanged for goods.
The main disadvantage of money as a store of value is that the value of money
falls when the prices of goods and services rise.
A Unit of Account
unit of account A standard unit that provides a consistent way of quoting
prices.
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EC ON OMIC S IN PRACTICE
Don’t Kill the Birds!
One of the more interesting examples of a
commodity money is described by David Houston,
an ethno-ornithologist.
In the nineteenth century, elaborate rolls of red
feathers harvested from the Scarlet Honeyeater
bird were used as currency between the island of
Santa Cruz and nearby Pacific Islands. Feathers were made into rolls of more
than 10 meters in length and were never worn, displayed, or used. Their sole
role was to serve as currency in a complex valuation system. Houston tells us
that more than 20,000 of these birds were killed each year to create this
“money,” adding considerably to bird mortality. Running the printing presses is
much easier.
Today, one of the few remaining uses of commodity monies is the use of
dolphin teeth in the Solomon Islands.
THINKING PRACTICALLY
1. Why do red feather rolls and dolphin teeth make good commodity monies, whereas
coconut shells would not?
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Commodity and Fiat Monies
commodity monies Items used as money that also have intrinsic value in
some other use.
fiat, or token, money Items designated as money that are intrinsically
worthless.
legal tender Money that a government has required to be accepted in
settlement of debts.
Aside from declaring its currency legal tender, the government usually does
one other thing to ensure that paper money will be accepted: It promises the
public that it will not print paper money so fast that it loses its value.
currency debasement The decrease in the value of money that occurs when
its supply is increased rapidly.
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Measuring the Supply of Money in the United States
M1: Transactions Money
M1, or transactions money Money that can be directly used for transactions.
M1 ≡ currency held outside banks + demand deposits + traveler’s checks +
other checkable deposits
M1 is a stock measure—it is measured at a point in time. M1 at the end of
December 2012 was $2,440.1 billion.
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M2: Broad Money
near monies Close substitutes for transactions money, such as savings
accounts and money market accounts.
M2, or broad money M1 plus savings accounts, money market accounts, and
other near monies.
M2 ≡ M1 + savings accounts + money market accounts + other near monies
M2 at the end of December 2012 was $10,402.4 billion.
M2 is sometimes more stable than M1.
Beyond M2
One of the very broad definitions of money includes the amount of available
credit on credit cards (your charge limit minus what you have charged but not
paid) as part of the money supply.
There are no rules for deciding what is and is not money. This poses problems
for economists and those in charge of economic policy. However, for our
purposes, “money” will always refer to transactions money, or M1.
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The Private Banking System
financial intermediaries Banks and other institutions that act as a link
between those who have money to lend and those who want to borrow money.
The main types of financial intermediaries are commercial banks, followed by
savings and loan associations, life insurance companies, and pension funds.
The Depository Institutions Deregulation and Monetary Control Act, enacted by
Congress in 1980, eliminated many of the previous restrictions on the behavior
of financial institutions.
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How Banks Create Money
A Historical Perspective: Goldsmiths
The origins of the modern banking system date back to the fifteenth and
sixteenth centuries, when gold was used as money but was also inconvenient
to carry around. People began to place their gold with goldsmiths for
safekeeping. The receipts issued to the depositor became a form of paper
money. The receipts were backed 100 percent by gold.
The goldsmiths found that people did not come often to withdraw gold. People
simple exchanged their paper receipts. So the goldsmiths found “extra” gold
sitting around that they could lend out, effectively changing from depositories to
banklike institutions that had the power to create money. Without adding any
more gold to the system, the goldsmiths increased the amount of money in
circulation.
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Goldsmiths-turned-bankers did face certain problems. Once they started
making loans, their receipts outstanding (claims on gold) were greater than the
amount of gold they had in their vaults at any given moment.
In normal times, goldsmiths were safe, but once people started to doubt the
safety of the goldsmith, they would be foolish not to demand their gold back
from the vault.
run on a bank Occurs when many of those who have claims on a bank
(deposits) present them at the same time.
Today’s bankers differ from goldsmiths—today’s banks are subject to a
“required reserve ratio.”
Goldsmiths had no legal reserve requirements, although the amount they
loaned out was subject to the restriction imposed on them by their fear of
running out of gold.
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The Modern Banking System
A Brief Review of Accounting
Assets − Liabilities ≡ Net Worth
or
Assets ≡ Liabilities + Net Worth
Assets are things a firm owns that are worth something. For a bank, these
assets include the bank building, its furniture, its holdings of government
securities, bonds, stocks, and so on. Most important among a bank’s assets,
for our purposes at least, are the loans it has made.
Other bank assets include cash on hand (sometimes called vault cash) and
deposits with the U.S. central bank.
Federal Reserve Bank (the Fed) The central bank of the United States.
A firm’s liabilities are its debts—what it owes. A bank’s most important liabilities
are its deposits. Deposits are debts owed to the depositors because when you
deposit money in your account, you are in essence making a loan to the bank.
Net worth represents the value of the firm to its stockholders or owners.
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 FIGURE 25.1 T-Account for a Typical Bank (millions of dollars)
The balance sheet of a bank must always balance, so that the sum of assets
(reserves and loans) equals the sum of liabilities (deposits and net worth).
reserves The deposits that a bank has at the Federal Reserve bank plus its
cash on hand.
required reserve ratio The percentage of its total deposits that a bank must
keep as reserves at the Federal Reserve.
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The Creation of Money
excess reserves The difference between a bank’s actual reserves
and its required reserves.
excess reserves ≡ actual reserves − required reserves
 FIGURE 25.2 Balance Sheets of a Bank in a Single-Bank Economy
In panel 2, there is an initial deposit of $100.
In panel 3, the bank has made loans of $400.
When loans are converted into deposits, the supply of money will increase.
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 FIGURE 25.3 The Creation of Money When There Are Many Banks
In panel 1, there is an initial deposit of $100 in bank 1. In panel 2, bank 1 makes a
loan of $80 by creating a deposit of $80. A check for $80 by the borrower is then
written on bank 1 (panel 3) and deposited in bank 2 (panel 1). The process
continues with bank 2 making loans and so on.
In the end, loans of $400 have been made and the total level of deposits is $500.
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The Money Multiplier
An increase in bank reserves leads to a greater than one-for-one increase in
the money supply.
Economists call the relationship between the final change in deposits and the
change in reserves that caused this change the money multiplier.
money multiplier The multiple by which deposits can increase for every dollar
increase in reserves; equal to 1 divided by the required reserve ratio.
money multiplier 
1
required reserve ratio
In the United States, the required reserve ratio varies depending on the size of
the bank and the type of deposit. For large banks and for checking deposits,
the ratio is currently 10 percent, which makes the potential money multiplier
1/.10 = 10. This means that an increase in reserves of $1 could cause an
increase in deposits of $10 if there were no leakage out of the system.
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The Federal Reserve System
 FIGURE 25.4 The Structure of the Federal Reserve System
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Founded in 1913 by an act of Congress (to which major reforms were added in the
1930s), the Fed is the central bank of the United States. The Fed is a complicated
institution with many responsibilities, including the regulation and supervision of about
6,000 commercial banks.
The Board of Governors is the most important group within the Federal Reserve System.
The Fed is an independent agency in that it does not take orders from the president or
from Congress.
Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) A group composed of the seven members of
the Fed’s Board of Governors, the president of the New York Federal Reserve Bank, and
four of the other 11 district bank presidents on a rotating basis; it sets goals concerning
the money supply and interest rates and directs the operation of the Open Market Desk
in New York.
Open Market Desk The office in the New York Federal Reserve Bank from which
government securities are bought and sold by the Fed.
The United States is divided into 12 Federal Reserve districts, each with its own Federal
Reserve bank. The district banks are like branch offices of the Fed in that they carry out
the rules, regulations, and functions of the central system in their districts and report to
the Board of Governors on local economic conditions.
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Functions of the Federal Reserve
The Fed is the central bank of the United States. Central banks are sometimes
known as “bankers’ banks.”
From a macroeconomic point of view, the Fed’s crucial role is to control the
money supply.
The Fed also performs several important functions for banks, such as clearing
interbank payments, regulating the banking system, and assisting banks in a
difficult financial position.
The Fed is also responsible for managing exchange rates and the nation’s
foreign exchange reserves.
It is often involved in intercountry negotiations on international economic
issues.
Besides facilitating the transfer of funds among banks, the Fed is responsible
for many of the regulations governing banking practices and standards.
lender of last resort One of the functions of the Fed: It provides funds to
troubled banks that cannot find any other sources of funds.
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Expanded Fed Activities Beginning in 2008
In March 2008, faced with many large financial institutions simultaneously in
serious financial trouble, the Fed began to broaden its role in the banking
system. No longer would it be simply a lender of last resort to banks, but would
become an active participant in the private banking system.
In the process of bailing out Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, in September 2008,
the Fed began buying securities of these two associations, called “federal
agency debt securities.”
In January 2009 the Fed began buying mortgage-backed securities, securities
that the private sector was reluctant to hold because of their perceived
riskiness.
In September 2012 the Fed opted to buy mortgage-backed securities and longterm government bonds to the tune of $85 billion per month. Most of these
purchases show up as an increase in excess reserves of commercial banks.
There has been much political discussion of whether the Fed should be
intervening in the private sector as much as it has been doing.
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The Federal Reserve Balance Sheet
TABLE 25.1 Assets and Liabilities of the Federal Reserve System, January 30, 2013
(Billions of Dollars)
Assets
Liabilities
Gold
$
11
$ 1,156
U.S. Treasury securities
1,710
1,645
75
71
Mortgage-backed securities
966
180
All other assets
290
$3,052
Federal agency debt securities
Total
Currency in circulation
Reserve balances
U.S. Treasury deposits
All other liabilities and net worth
Total
$3,052
Gold is trivial. Do not think that this gold has anything to do with money in
circulation.
U.S. Treasury securities are the traditional assets held by the Fed.
The new assets of the Fed (since 2008) are federal agency debt securities
and mortgage-backed securities.
Currency in circulation accounts for about 38 percent of the Fed’s liabilities.
Reserve balances account for about 54 percent of the Fed’s liabilities.
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How the Federal Reserve Controls the Money Supply
The money supply is equal to the sum of deposits inside banks and the
currency in circulation outside banks.
If the Fed wants to increase the supply of money, it creates more reserves,
thereby freeing banks to create additional deposits by making more loans. If it
wants to decrease the money supply, it reduces reserves.
Three tools are available to the Fed for changing the money supply:
(1) Changing the required reserve ratio.
(2) Changing the discount rate.
(3) Engaging in open market operations.
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The Required Reserve Ratio
TABLE 25.2 A Decrease in the Required Reserve Ratio from 20 Percent to 12.5 Percent
Increases the Supply of Money (All Figures in Billions of Dollars)
Panel 1: Required Reserve Ratio = 20%
Federal Reserve
Assets
Government
securities
Commercial Banks
Liabilities
$200
Assets
$100
Reserves
Reserves
$100
$100
Currency
Loans
$400
Liabilities
$500
Deposits
Note: Money supply (M1) = Currency + Deposits = $600.
Panel 2: Required Reserve Ratio = 12.5%
Federal Reserve
Assets
Government
securities
$200
Commercial Banks
Liabilities
Assets
Liabilities
$100
Reserves
Reserves
$100
$800
$100
Currency
Loans
(+ $300)
$700
(+ $300)
Deposits
Note: Money supply (M1) = currency + deposits = $900.
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Decreases in the required reserve ratio allow banks to have more deposits with
the existing volume of reserves.
As banks create more deposits by making loans, the supply of money (currency
+ deposits) increases.
The reverse is also true: If the Fed wants to restrict the supply of money, it can
raise the required reserve ratio, in which case banks will find that they have
insufficient reserves and must therefore reduce their deposits by “calling in”
some of their loans.
The result is a decrease in the money supply.
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The Discount Rate
discount rate The interest rate that banks pay to the Fed to borrow from it.
When banks increase their borrowing, the money supply increases.
TABLE 25.3 The Effect on the Money Supply of Commercial Bank Borrowing from the Fed (All
Figures in Billions of Dollars)
Panel 1: No Commercial Bank Borrowing from the Fed
Federal Reserve
Assets
Liabilities
Securities
$160
Commercial Banks
Assets
Liabilities
$80
Reserves
Reserves
$80
Currency
Loans
$80
$400
Deposits
$320
Note: Money supply (M1) = currency + deposits = $480.
Panel 2: Commercial Bank Borrowing $20 from the Fed
Federal Reserve
Assets
Liabilities
Securities
Loans
Commercial Banks
Assets
Liabilities
$160
$100
Reserves
(+ $20)
Reserves
(+ $20)
$100
$500
$20
$80
Currency
Loans
(+ $100)
$420
$20
Deposits
(+ $300)
Amount owed to
Fed (+ $20)
Note: Money supply (M1) = currency + deposits = $580.
moral suasion The pressure that in the past the Fed exerted on member banks to
discourage them from borrowing heavily from the Fed.
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Open Market Operations
open market operations The purchase and sale by the Fed of government
securities in the open market; a tool used to expand or contract the amount of
reserves in the system and thus the money supply.
When the Fed purchases a security, it pays for it by writing a check that, when
cleared, expands the quantity of reserves in the system, increasing the money
supply. When the Fed sells a bond, private citizens or institutions pay for it with
their bank deposits, which reduces the quantity of reserves in the system.
Two Branches of Government Deal in Government Securities
The Treasury Department is responsible for collecting taxes and paying the
federal government’s bills. To finance the deficit, (G - T) is the amount the
Treasury must borrow each year. This means that the Treasury cannot print
money to finance the deficit.
The Fed is not the Treasury. It is a quasi-independent agency authorized by
Congress to buy and sell outstanding (preexisting) U.S. government securities
on the open market.
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The Mechanics of Open Market Operations
If the Fed sells some of its holdings of government securities to the general
public, they will pay by writing checks drawn on their banks and payable to the
Fed.
TABLE 25.4 Open Market Operations (The Numbers in Parentheses in Panels 2 and 3 Show the
Differences between Those Panels and Panel 1. All Figures in Billions of Dollars)
Panel 1
Federal Reserve
Assets
Liabilities
Securities
$100
$20 Reserves
$80 Currency
Commercial Banks
Assets
Liabilities
Reserves
Loans
$20
$80
$100 Deposits
Jane Q. Public
Assets
Liabilities
Deposits
$5
$0
$5
Debts
Net Worth
Note: Money supply (M1) = Currency + Deposits = $180.
Panel 2
Federal Reserve
Assets
Liabilities
Securities
(- $5)
$95
$15 Reserves
(- $5)
$80 Currency
Commercial Banks
Assets
Liabilities
Reserves
(- $5)
Loans
$15
$95 Deposits
(- $5)
$80
Jane Q. Public
Assets
Liabilities
Deposits
(-$5)
Securities
(+ $5)
$0
$0
Debts
$5
$5
Net Worth
Note: Money supply (M1) = Currency + Deposits = $175.
Panel 3
Federal Reserve
Assets
Liabilities
Securities
(- $5)
$95
$15 Reserves
(- $5)
$80 Currency
Commercial Banks
Assets
Liabilities
Reserves
(- $5)
Loans
(- $20)
$15
$60
$75 Deposits
(- $25)
Jane Q. Public
Assets
Liabilities
Deposits
(- $5)
Securities
(+ $5)
$0
$0
Debts
$5
$5
Net Worth
Note: Money supply (M1) = Currency + Deposits = $155.
The final equilibrium position is shown in panel 3, where commercial banks have reduced their loans by $20 billion. This
corresponds exactly to our earlier analysis of the money multiplier. The change in money ( -$25 billion) is equal to the
money multiplier (5) times the change in reserves (-$5 billion).
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The Mechanics of Open Market Operations
We can sum up the effect of these open market operations this way:
■ An open market purchase of securities by the Fed results in an increase in
reserves and an increase in the supply of money by an amount equal to the
money multiplier times the change in reserves.
■ An open market sale of securities by the Fed results in a decrease in
reserves and a decrease in the supply of money by an amount equal to the
money multiplier times the change in reserves.
Open market operations are the Fed’s preferred means of controlling the
money supply for several reasons. They can be used with some precision; are
extremely flexible; and, have a fairly predictable effect on the money supply.
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Excess Reserves and the Supply Curve for Money
 FIGURE 25.5 The Supply of Money
If the Fed’s money supply behavior is not influenced by the interest rate, the money
supply curve is a vertical line.
Through its three tools, the Fed is assumed to have the money supply be whatever
value it wants.
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Looking Ahead
This chapter has discussed only the supply side of the money market.
In the next chapter, we turn to the demand side of the money market.
We will examine the demand for money and see how the supply of and
demand for money determine the equilibrium interest rate.
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REVIEW TERMS AND CONCEPTS
barter
moral suasion
commodity monies
near monies
currency debasement
Open Market Desk
discount rate
open market operations
excess reserves
required reserve ratio
Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC)
reserves
Federal Reserve Bank (the Fed)
run on a bank
fiat, or token, money
store of value
financial intermediaries
unit of account
legal tender
1. M1 ≡ currency held outside banks +
demand deposits + traveler’s checks +
other checkable deposits
lender of last resort
liquidity property of money
M1, or transactions money
2. M2 ≡ M1 + savings accounts + money
market accounts + other near monies
M2, or broad money
3. Assets ≡ Liabilities + Net Worth
medium of exchange, or means of payment
4. Excess reserves ≡ actual reserves −
required reserves
money multiplier
5. Money multiplier ≡
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required reserve ratio
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