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Prefatory Note

The attached document represents the most complete and accurate version available
based on original files from the FOMC Secretariat at the Board of Governors of the
Federal Reserve System.
Please note that some material may have been redacted from this document if that
material was received on a confidential basis. Redacted material is indicated by
occasional gaps in the text or by gray boxes around non-text content. All redacted
passages are exempt from disclosure under applicable provisions of the Freedom of
Information Act.

Content last modified 04/01/2015.

Class II FOMC - Restricted (FR)

Part 1

January 22, 2009

CURRENT ECONOMIC
AND FINANCIAL CONDITIONS
Summary and Outlook

Prepared for the Federal Open Market Committee
by the staff of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System

Class II FOMC - Restricted (FR)

January 22, 2009

Summary and Outlook

Prepared for the Federal Open Market Committee
by the staff of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System

Class II FOMC—Restricted (FR)

Domestic Developments
The information received since the time of the December Greenbook indicates that
economic activity has continued to contract sharply. Sales and starts of new homes
remain on a steep downtrend with no sign yet of stabilization, consumer spending has
declined significantly for more than six months, the deterioration in equipment
investment has intensified, and foreign demand has weakened. In addition, both labor
markets and industrial production (IP) have deteriorated considerably, and by more than
we had expected. Thus, we now estimate a 5 percent rate of decline in fourth-quarter real
gross domestic product (GDP) and we project a 5½ percent rate of decline in the current
quarter, contractions that are somewhat steeper than we previously projected. And we
now expect the unemployment rate to increase more rapidly in this forecast, approaching
8 percent by March.
Beyond the near term, the key factors conditioning our projection have moved in a
direction that, on net, point to slightly greater stimulus to aggregate demand than was
incorporated into the December Greenbook projection. Most important, we now
anticipate that the Congress will pass a significantly larger fiscal stimulus plan than we
had previously assumed, one that totals $800 billion, rather than $500 billion, over two
years. In addition, the futures path for oil prices has moved lower, and long-term interest
rates have come down somewhat, with the largest declines for corporate bond rates.
Stresses also have eased a bit in short-term funding markets. Nevertheless, the
improvement in overall credit conditions has not been appreciable, and most areas remain
under considerable stress—most notably, the condition of the largest banks has become
more precarious. Moreover, our baseline assumptions do not provide for any further
monetary stimulus beyond that already in place: We assume that the nominal funds rate
will remain near zero for several years (not materially different from the December
Greenbook assumption), and we have conditioned the projection on no additional
unconventional credit-easing or liquidity actions, which likely will disappoint market
participants. In addition, our assumed path for equity prices is somewhat lower than in
December and the outlook for foreign growth has weakened.
All told, we now project a slightly stronger recovery in the second half of this year and in
2010. Specifically, we now look for real GDP to increase at an annual rate of 2 percent
in the second half and to rise 2½ percent in 2010. These figures are about ½ percentage
point and ¼ percentage point, respectively, larger than in the December Greenbook. The
unemployment rate is expected to reach a peak of 8½ percent in early 2010 before edging
back down to near 8 percent by the end of that year.

I-1

I-2

Class II FOMC—Restricted (FR)

Part 1: Summary and Outlook, January 22, 2009

Core inflation has moved considerably lower in recent months, and headline inflation has
turned negative, reflecting the sharp declines in energy prices through December. The
main forces that we see influencing the inflation outlook are little changed in this
Greenbook. In particular, we continue to think that inflation will be held down by low
rates of resource utilization, falling import prices, and a drop in cost pressures from the
sharp declines in oil and other raw material prices since the summer. On net, we look for
core personal consumption expenditures (PCE) prices to rise 1 percent this year—just a
shade lower than in the December Greenbook—and increase 0.8 percent in 2010.
Headline inflation is projected to come in close to core inflation, on average, this year
and next, with small differences associated with the recent decline and projected increase
in energy prices.
Key Background Factors
As noted, we now assume that the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) will hold
the target federal funds rate in the current range of zero to ¼ percent through the end of
2010; in December we had assumed that the target would move down to ¼ percent at the
January meeting and hold at that level thereafter. Market participants have revised down
their expected path for the federal funds rate since the time of the last Greenbook by
about ¼ percentage point, on average, both this year and next. Nevertheless, the market’s
expected path for the federal funds rate moves above the current target range in the
second half of this year and continues to rise in 2010; the amount of tightening that is
expected, however, is hard to estimate precisely because of the heightened uncertainty
about term premiums at present.1
The 10-year Treasury rate has edged down about 10 basis points on net since the last
Greenbook. As before, we assume that the 10-year Treasury rate will drift up from its
starting level as the demand for safe assets moderates when economic activity begins to
pick up and as the 10-year window for the Treasury rate moves through the period of
very low short-term rates anticipated for the next few years. In addition, market
participants seem to place noticeable odds on a program to purchase long-term Treasury
securities; the 10-year Treasury rate could be pushed up when such a program, which is

1

The zero lower bound introduces a related consideration in inferring market expectations of the
federal funds rate path. With the nominal federal funds rate already at its effective lower bound, the
probability distribution for future short-term interest rates is now highly skewed to the upside. Thus, even
though the market’s modal forecast may be that the federal funds rate will remain close to zero for some
time, its mean forecast is likely to be increasingly above zero as the forecast horizon increases, because the
odds of “lifting off” from the zero lower bound increase with time.

I-3
Class II FOMC - Restricted (FR)

Key Background Factors Underlying the Baseline Staff Projection
Federal Funds Rate

Long-Term Interest Rates
Percent

Percent
8

Quarterly average

10

Quarterly average
7

Current Greenbook
December Greenbook
Market forecast

9
Baa corporate rate

6

8

5

7

4

6

Conforming mortgage rate

3

5
10-year
Treasury rate

2

4

1
2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

0

Equity Prices

3
2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2

House Prices
2005:Q1 = 100, ratio scale

2005:Q1 = 100, ratio scale
150

Quarter-end

140
130
120
Wilshire 5000

120

Quarterly
110
LoanPerformance
index

100

110

90

100
80
90
70

80

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

70

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

60

Note: The projection period begins in 2008:Q4.

Crude Oil Prices

Broad Real Dollar
Dollars per barrel

2005:Q1 = 100
150

Quarterly average

110

Quarterly average
130
110

2007

2008

2009

2010

90

50

2006

95

70

2005

100

90

West Texas
intermediate

105

85

30

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

Note: In each panel, shading represents the projection period, which begins in 2009:Q1 except as noted.

2010

80

I-4

Class II FOMC—Restricted (FR)

Part 1: Summary and Outlook, January 22, 2009

not incorporated in our baseline, fails to materialize. These factors more than offset the
downward pressure on long-term rates from market participants’ gradual realization that
the federal funds rate will be kept at the effective zero bound for longer than they
currently expect.
Yields on investment-grade corporate bonds have fallen roughly ½ percentage point since
we closed the December Greenbook, and speculative-grade yields have posted
considerably steeper declines, albeit from extremely high levels. The narrowing of the
spread on Baa-rated corporate bonds has been greater than we anticipated in the last
Greenbook, and we expect that corporate bond yields will decline further over the
remainder of this year and next, as economic conditions begin to improve and risk
aversion decreases.
Fixed mortgage rates have declined somewhat more than Treasury rates in recent weeks,
reflecting the favorable reaction in the market for agency mortgage-backed securities
(MBS) to the Fed’s ongoing purchases of these securities. The narrowing of the
mortgage spread over the 10-year Treasury rate is about in line with what we had
anticipated in the December Greenbook. We project that the conforming mortgage rate
will drift down from its current level and will average about 5 percent in the second half
of this year and in 2010. The mortgage rate path in this projection is about 10 basis
points, on average, below the path assumed in the December Greenbook.
Equity prices have moved down about 4 percent, on net, since the time of the December
Greenbook, and we have revised down our projected path for the stock market by this
amount throughout the forecast period. As before, we assume that the equity risk
premium will gradually decline from its unusually high current level so that by the end of
2010, it will have erased about half of its increase since mid-2007. This path for the
equity risk premium implies that stock prices will rise about 12 percent in both the
remainder of 2009 and 2010.
We have made only small changes to our assumptions for house prices in this projection.
We expect that prices will continue to fall rapidly in the first half of this year and that the
declines will start to diminish thereafter as housing demand begins to firm and the
inventory of unsold homes is brought into better alignment with sales. All told, the
LoanPerformance house price index is projected to decline more than 12 percent this year
and about 3 percent in 2010.

Domestic Developments

Class II FOMC—Restricted (FR) I-5

As noted earlier, we have increased the size of the two-year fiscal stimulus package
incorporated into our baseline projection to $800 billion, up from the $500 billion
package that we built into our forecast in the December Greenbook. The specific
composition of the stimulus package still is uncertain, but based on recent reports, we
have assumed that it will include:
•

•

•

•

•

grants to state governments of $200 billion for infrastructure investments (versus
$115 billion assumed in December) and $200 billion for general purposes (versus
$40 billion);
a permanent reduction in personal income taxes of $180 billion over this year and
next (somewhat less than the $230 billion assumed for these tax cuts in the last
Greenbook);
temporary business tax cuts of $120 billion over two years, which include an
extension of the bonus depreciation allowance through 2009, a provision that allows
firms to carry back tax losses up to five years to offset earlier taxes paid, and other
types of business tax relief (we did not assume any business tax cuts in our last
projection);
temporary increases in transfer payments to individuals that total $90 billion over this
year and next (up from $55 billion in the last forecast); we have retained our
assumption for the extension of emergency unemployment compensation (EUC)
benefits, and we boosted our assumption for payments for food stamps and other lowincome support programs; and
an extra $10 billion (unchanged from December) for additional federal nondefense
purchases.

In addition, we continue to assume the enactment of two new programs of $50 billion
each to aid current and prospective homeowners: one to provide subsidized mortgage
financing for qualifying home purchases this year at 1 percentage point below the
conforming mortgage rate, and one to enhance other federal programs aimed at reducing
preventable home foreclosures. Both of these programs were included in the December
Greenbook projection. However, in December we included the cost of the subsidizedmortgage program as part of the $500 billion stimulus package; we now assume instead
that this program (as well as the foreclosure-reduction program) will be funded out of the
Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP).
We estimate that this larger fiscal stimulus package, together with the TARP-funded
programs to aid homeowners, will add roughly 1½ percentage points to the change in real

I-6

Class II FOMC—Restricted (FR)

Part 1: Summary and Outlook, January 22, 2009

GDP in 2009 and about ¾ percentage point in 2010; both of these figures are about
50 percent larger than in the last Greenbook. For the personal tax cuts, transfers to
households, and programs to aid homeowners, the behavioral assumptions underlying
these GDP effects are largely unchanged from the December Greenbook.2 The much
larger amount of aid to state governments translates into greater spending by states and
municipalities than in our December projection, though the amount of additional
spending through 2010 falls well short of the entire boost to aid. For infrastructure,
where spend-out rates are usually slow, we assume that only about one-quarter of the aid
will be spent by the end of 2010; for the general aid to states, we look for about one-half
to be spent during this period.3 Further, we assume that the new business tax cuts will
provide only a small boost to business investment. As we have discussed in the past, we
read the evidence from 2002 to 2004 as suggesting that the bonus depreciation provisions
will have very little effect on business capital outlays. And we think that the five-year
carryback provision will provide a small boost to capital spending by raising firms’ cash
flow but otherwise will not provide a significant incentive to invest.
Mostly reflecting the bigger fiscal stimulus package in this forecast, we are projecting
even larger deficits in the federal unified budget than previously. Specifically, we now
expect the deficit to reach about $1.8 trillion (12½ percent of GDP) in fiscal 2009 and
$1 trillion (7 percent of GDP) in fiscal 2010; these figures are about $100 billion and
$200 billion, respectively, larger than in the December Greenbook. The deficit projected
for fiscal 2009 is boosted importantly by the expected outlays from the TARP and from
capital injections for the housing-related government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs); we
expect these outlays to diminish substantially in fiscal 2010. Even so, we anticipate that
the deficit will still be extremely wide next year as a result of the fiscal stimulus package
and the weak economic outlook.

2

Briefly, we assume that households spend the increase in disposable income resulting from the
reduction in income taxes as they would an increase in ordinary income, with about 40 percent spent by the
end of the first year and about 60 percent spent by the end of the second year. The additional transfer
payments are assumed to be entirely spent by the recipients soon after they are received. The reduced-rate
mortgage financing program is assumed to have only a small effect on construction activity as builders
understand the temporary nature of the program. Finally, we assume that the foreclosure mitigation
program will result in about 1 million mortgage modifications, about two-thirds of which avoid default in
the medium term; we estimate that this will lift the level of home prices by roughly 4 percent by the end of
2010 relative to what would have occurred in the absence of the program.
3
The fact that we estimate a smaller effect of the fiscal stimulus package on GDP through 2010 than
do some outside analysts stems most importantly from these analysts’ assumption that essentially all of the
grants to states will be spent by the end of next year.

Domestic Developments

Class II FOMC—Restricted (FR) I-7

The foreign exchange value of the dollar has moved up a bit, on net, since the time of the
December Greenbook, and the path going forward remains just a little above our previous
assumption. We continue to assume that the dollar will remain about flat over the
remainder of this year and then will decline 3 percent in 2010. Incoming data on foreign
economic activity point to a somewhat steeper decline than we had anticipated in
December, particularly for emerging market economies, but we continue to expect a
moderate recovery abroad beginning around the middle of the year—the same time as in
the United States. In all, we project foreign economic activity to be little changed, on net,
this year—down from an anticipated increase of ½ percent in the last Greenbook—and
then to rise about 2¾ percent in 2010.
Despite considerable volatility since the time of the December Greenbook, the spot price
of West Texas intermediate (WTI) crude oil is little changed, on net, closing most
recently at around $42 per barrel. In contrast, the price of futures contracts for delivery
beyond the near-term have fallen by an average of about $5 per barrel over the remainder
of the projection period. Consistent with these futures prices, we expect crude oil prices
to move up as global economic activity gradually recovers, with the price of WTI
reaching $53 per barrel by the end of this year and about $60 per barrel by the end of
2010.
Recent Developments and the Near-Term Outlook
We estimate that real GDP decreased at an annual rate of about 5 percent in the fourth
quarter of 2008, and we project an even larger decline, at an annual rate of 5½ percent, in
the current quarter. Although we expect the drop in final sales to be less severe than in
the fourth quarter, we anticipate that firms will slash production further as they attempt to
continue to draw down their inventories.
Indeed, industrial production has contracted with increasing severity as manufacturers
have responded aggressively to declines in both domestic and foreign demand. IP fell at
an annual rate of 11½ percent last quarter despite some rebound from the Boeing strike
and the effects of the September hurricanes. Motor vehicle producers have slashed firstquarter production schedules to unusually low levels in response to the plunge in sales.
Elsewhere, the breadth of recent production cuts and the deterioration of forward-looking
indicators, such as orders for new durable goods and industry reports, all point to
continued deep and broad-based declines in factory output in the current quarter. As a
result, we now project overall IP to decline at an annual rate of 14 percent in the first
quarter—7 percentage points more negative than our forecast in the December

I-8

Class II FOMC—Restricted (FR)

Part 1: Summary and Outlook, January 22, 2009

Summary of the Near-Term Outlook
(Percent change at annual rate except as noted)
2008:Q4
Measure

Real GDP
Private domestic final purchases
Personal consumption expenditures
Residential investment
Business fixed investment
Government outlays for consumption
and investment

2009:Q1

December January December January
Greenbook Greenbook Greenbook Greenbook
-4.7
-6.6
-4.3
-27.0
-14.0

-4.9
-6.1
-3.9
-28.1
-12.9

-5.0
-5.2
-1.3
-32.5
-19.8

-5.6
-5.9
-1.7
-40.7
-19.8

1.2

3.4

-.4

.4

Contribution to growth
(percentage points)
Inventory investment
Net exports

.3
.4

-.4
-.1

-1.6
.9

-2.0
1.2

Greenbook. With this path of output, capacity utilization in manufacturing is expected to
move down to 68½ percent this quarter—more than 10 percentage points below its recent
cyclical high in mid-2007.
Labor market conditions also deteriorated at an increasing pace in the fourth quarter.
Private payroll employment fell more than 500,000 in December, and payroll counts for
October and November were revised down substantially, evidence of an employment
situation that is weaker than we had anticipated. Since then, new claims for
unemployment insurance have remained at a very high level, and the level of continuing
claims has continued to rise. We are now looking for private employment to fall another
500,000 in the January survey and to decline 375,000 per month, on average, in February
and March. Accordingly, we expect the unemployment rate to climb from 7.2 percent in
December to 7.5 percent in January and to almost 8 percent by March.
Consumer outlays have fallen sharply further, on net, in recent months. The deteriorating
labor market, drops in equity and housing wealth, and tight credit availability have
outweighed the boost to household purchasing power associated with the substantial
declines in energy prices. We estimate that real PCE declined at an annual rate close to
4 percent in the fourth quarter, similar to both the pace of decline in the third quarter and
the drop we projected in the December Greenbook. We project that real PCE will decline
at a slower rate of 1¾ percent in the first quarter. Sales of light motor vehicles plunged

Domestic Developments

Class II FOMC—Restricted (FR) I-9

last quarter; in the current quarter, we expect vehicle sales to remain very low but not to
fall further. In addition, we project that the tax cuts and the boost to transfer payments
from the fiscal stimulus plan will begin to show through to spending by March.
Activity in the housing sector contracted sharply near the end of last year, and we expect
further declines in the early months of this year. Starts of new single-family homes
dropped steeply in November and December, and the recent low level of new permit
issuance points to additional declines in the near term. Starts of multifamily homes also
moved down noticeably toward year-end. News on the demand for houses has been
bleak as well: Sales of new homes continued to move lower through November, and
sales of existing homes, which had been flat, on balance, for much of last year (elevated,
at least in part, by deep discounting on foreclosed properties), turned back down. We
expect single-family starts to fall to an annual rate of only 360,000 units in the first
quarter—less than one-quarter the pace of starts in 2005. The recent and prospective
pace of starts implies that real residential investment will contract at an annual rate of
40 percent in the current quarter after an estimated decline of nearly 30 percent in the
fourth quarter.
The downturn in businesses’ spending on capital equipment appears to have broadened
and deepened in the fourth quarter. As has been the case for some time, sizable declines
in outlays for motor vehicles were evident. But domestic shipments also dropped back
across a wide range of both high-tech and non-high-tech equipment categories, and
imports slumped. The downtrend in new orders points to further softening in spending in
the near term, as do the distressed readings from elevated risk spreads, surveys of
business sentiment, and the continued tight credit conditions faced by many borrowers.
All told, we expect real spending on equipment and software (E&S) to fall at an annual
rate of almost 20 percent in the first quarter, similar to the pace of decline that we
estimate occurred in the fourth quarter.
As for nonresidential structures, the available spending data remained surprisingly
resilient through November, and real investment in this category now appears to have
eked out a small gain last quarter. Nevertheless, the fundamentals for investment in
structures have deteriorated, as evidenced by increasing vacancy rates, declining
commercial property values, and tighter lending standards for commercial real estate
loans. In addition, the architectural billings index, which is a fairly good indicator of
spending about six months ahead, fell to an extremely low level late last year. New
investment in drilling and mining structures also seems likely to fall off given the steep

I-10

Class II FOMC—Restricted (FR)

Part 1: Summary and Outlook, January 22, 2009

drop in oil and natural gas prices. Thus, we project real outlays for nonresidential
structures to fall at an annual rate of about 20 percent in the current quarter.
In the government sector, information through December from the Monthly Treasury
Statement suggests that real federal purchases rose at an annual rate of almost 9 percent
in the fourth quarter because of another sizable increase in defense spending. We expect
defense spending to decelerate following an extremely large increase over the past year,
and we look for federal spending growth to slow to a rate of about 1 percent in the first
quarter before resuming a moderate pace thereafter. Meanwhile, state and local
governments have been facing increasing budgetary strains that likely would intensify if
not for the increased federal grants that we assume to be part of the fiscal stimulus
package. Indicators suggest that real purchases by states and municipalities were about
unchanged in the fourth quarter, and we assume they will remain about flat again in the
current quarter; the anticipation of forthcoming grants may be playing some role in
helping to forestall spending cuts this quarter.
Both real exports and real imports appear to have fallen sharply in the fourth quarter and
by considerably more than we had anticipated. Overall net exports were an
approximately neutral influence on the change in GDP in the fourth quarter. We expect
trade flows to continue to decline in the near term, primarily reflecting weak demand in
the United States and abroad, and with the drop in imports outweighing a continued
decline in exports. Smoothing through some of the quarterly variability in these series,
we look for net exports to contribute just above ½ percentage point to the change in real
GDP in the first half of this year.
The monthly Census data through November suggest that inventories outside the motor
vehicle sector continued to fall in the fourth quarter as producers moved aggressively to
pare production in response to the weakening outlook for sales. Nevertheless, inventory
imbalances appear to have developed in a number of areas, and with sales prospects
remaining bleak, we expect firms to slash production further in order to generate an even
larger pace of liquidation in the first half of this year. In the motor vehicle sector, we
anticipate an especially large inventory drawdown this quarter in light of the automakers’
low scheduled pace of assemblies. Altogether, we expect the faster pace of inventory
liquidation to hold down real GDP growth this quarter by 2 percentage points.
Recent data on consumer prices have been to the low side of our expectations, and we
now estimate that core PCE prices rose at an annual rate of only 0.6 percent in the fourth

Domestic Developments

Class II FOMC—Restricted (FR) I-11

quarter, more than ½ percentage point below our projection in the last Greenbook. Part
of the revision is associated with the nonmarket component of PCE prices, which has
been especially soft and from which we take little signal. But the market-based
component of PCE prices also came in very low, showing no change for a second month
in November and, judging from the CPI (consumer price index) and PPI (producer price
index) data, again in December. These data likely reflect, in part, diminished cost
pressures and the recent drop in import prices, but they are also consistent with the
anecdotal reports of heavy discounting for many consumer goods in an environment of
weak demand and inventory buildups. Given the weakness in retail sales at year-end,
such discounting is likely to have intensified early this year; we thus expect core inflation
to remain especially subdued in the near term, with core PCE prices projected to rise at
an annual rate of just 0.8 percent in the first quarter, ¾ percentage point below our
forecast in the December Greenbook.
The December CPI also provided a clearer sign that food prices are starting to decelerate
in response to the drop in farm prices in the second half of last year. Meanwhile,
consumer energy prices have plummeted in response to the drop in crude oil prices over
the past six months, and we estimate that headline PCE prices declined at a 5½ percent
annual rate in the fourth quarter. Even though we think these energy price declines are
now largely behind us, on a quarterly average basis we should see another sizable decline
in the first quarter, and we expect overall PCE prices to fall at a 2¼ percent rate this
quarter.
The Medium-Term Outlook
We project that real GDP will continue to decline through the second quarter and then
gradually strengthen, rising at an annual rate of 2 percent in the second half of this year
and advancing 2½ percent next year. This projection is a little stronger than we projected
in December, with the effects of the larger fiscal package, lower oil prices, and lower
long-term interest rates mostly offset by the lower stock market and weaker foreign
activity. Beyond the fiscal and monetary stimulus, and as in previous projections, the
recovery is supported by numerous factors including a gradual easing of the stresses in
financial markets, and a waning drag from the housing market.
Household sector. We project that consumer spending will flatten out in the second
quarter and will gradually accelerate thereafter. The tax cuts and transfer payments from
the fiscal stimulus plan provide an important boost to households’ disposable income this
year in the face of declining employment and weak real wage growth, and these factors

I-12

Part 1: Summary and Outlook, January 22, 2009

Class II FOMC—Restricted (FR)

Projections of Real GDP
(Percent change at annual rate from end of
preceding period except as noted)
2008:
H2

2009:
H1

2009

2010

-2.7
-2.6

-3.5
-3.1

-.8
-.9

2.6
2.4

-2.9
-3.1

-2.7
-2.4

-1.3
-1.4

2.6
2.4

Personal consumption
expenditures
Previous Greenbook

-3.9
-4.0

-.6
-.2

.6
.7

2.9
2.7

Residential investment
Previous Greenbook

-22.3
-21.6

-31.6
-22.2

-12.8
-10.4

10.0
8.9

-7.4
-7.5

-19.5
-19.7

-16.7
-16.9

3.0
4.8

Government purchases
Previous Greenbook

4.6
3.4

1.6
.8

2.4
1.2

2.5
1.2

Exports
Previous Greenbook

-9.2
-.4

-3.9
-2.7

-2.1
-1.3

2.4
2.6

Imports
Previous Greenbook

-9.6
-4.2

-6.9
-5.6

-.8
-1.0

5.4
4.9

Measure
Real GDP
Previous Greenbook
Final sales
Previous Greenbook

Business fixed investment
Previous Greenbook

Contribution to growth
(percentage points)
Inventory change
Previous Greenbook

.2
.5

-.7
-.7

.6
.4

.0
.0

Net exports
Previous Greenbook

.5
.7

.6
.5

-.1
-.0

-.5
-.4

should promote greater spending in the quarters ahead. And, as in previous Greenbooks,
consumption is supported over time by a gradual improvement in credit availability and
consumer confidence as the economy starts to revive and by a waning of the adverse
effects of declines in household wealth. In all, we project that real PCE will show a
slight increase of about ½ percent for 2009 as a whole and will rise 3 percent in 2010.
The pattern of the personal saving rate is importantly influenced by the tax cuts, as the
gradual spending response to the increase in disposable income implies a near-term jump

Domestic Developments

Class II FOMC—Restricted (FR) I-13

in the saving rate, from 3¼ percent late last year to about 5½ percent in the first half of
2009. This factor alone would imply a sizable decline in the saving rate in subsequent
quarters as spending continues to adjust to the tax cuts; however, because we expect that
households will also be continuing to adjust to past and projected declines in wealth, the
personal saving rate is projected to only edge down, reaching 4¾ percent by the end of
2010.
Single-family housing starts, after reaching a nadir in the first half of this year, are
projected to move higher over the remainder of the forecast period. The increase is quite
modest, however, and by the end of 2010, starts are projected to have recovered only to
about the depressed pace of early 2008. The recovery results from several factors. The
recent drop in mortgage rates and the assumed programs providing foreclosure relief and
below-market financing for some homebuyers should provide support for housing
demand. In addition, the lower level of home prices should, over time, improve
affordability and encourage more potential buyers to enter the market. As demand
stabilizes with construction activity at a very low level, we expect the overhang of unsold
homes to move down further and create the incentive for the modest improvement in
building activity that we are projecting. All told, we project that real residential
investment, which lags housing starts slightly, will decline about 13 percent this year and
rise 10 percent in 2010. Although this projection is weaker in the near term relative to
the December Greenbook, the pickup later this year is more pronounced because of the
lower mortgage rates.
Business investment. Our projection for business investment is very similar to that in
the last Greenbook. We expect real business outlays for E&S to decline throughout this
year, as the weak sales environment, tight financial conditions, and high level of
uncertainty continue to restrain spending. As previously mentioned, we think the
business tax incentives that are part of the fiscal stimulus package will provide only a
small boost to investment spending, which we estimate to be on the order of 1 percent of
E&S this year. In all, we project real expenditures for E&S to decline 12 percent this
year before turning up 9 percent in 2010 as credit conditions improve somewhat and
overall demand strengthens. As for investment in structures, we expect spending to
decline 24 percent this year and another 8 percent in 2010. This bleak outlook reflects
the particularly unfavorable credit conditions in this sector, the long planning and
implementation lags for these projects, and the adverse effects of low oil and natural gas
prices on the construction of new drilling structures.

I-14

Class II FOMC—Restricted (FR)

Part 1: Summary and Outlook, January 22, 2009

Given our projection that final sales will stabilize later this year, the sharp inventory
liquidation that we project to occur in the first half of this year should go a long way
toward reducing firms’ excess stocks, and we expect the drawdowns to diminish and give
way to modest restocking by early 2010. In fact, the cessation of sharp inventory runoffs,
and the associated movement of production back up toward the level of final sales,
accounts for essentially all of the 2 percent annual rate of increase in real GDP in the
second half of this year. In 2010, we expect stockbuilding to roughly keep pace with the
rise in final sales, so that inventory investment is a neutral factor for our projection of real
activity.
Government spending. Real spending by state and local governments is projected to be
much stronger than in the December Greenbook, reflecting the sizable boost in federal
aid to these governments in our fiscal stimulus package. As discussed previously, only a
portion of these grants is expected to be spent over the forecast period given our
assumption of substantial implementation lags for most infrastructure projects and our
view that state and local governments will choose to smooth the budgetary cushion
provided by the general grants to avoid sharp spending cuts when the grants have been
exhausted. Nonetheless, our projection calls for real state and local spending to rise
2½ percent this year and about 3 percent in 2010; both figures are up from increases of
about ½ percent in the previous Greenbook, when the grants were assumed to be less than
one-half as large as those at present. In the absence of any increase in federal grants, we
would expect to see declines in real state and local spending in the period ahead given
these governments’ increasing budgetary problems. At the federal level, spending is
expected to decelerate considerably over the projection period from the elevated pace
over the past year as the rise in defense purchases slows; nondefense purchases are
expected to increase at an annual rate of 2¾ percent over the projection period, about the
same pace as last year. In all, increases in real federal purchases are projected to step
down from 8¾ percent last year to around 2 percent, on average, in 2009 and 2010.
Net exports. We expect the demand for both exports and imports to gradually strengthen
in line with overall activity at home and abroad. We project that real exports will be
about flat in the second half of this year and will rise 2½ percent in 2010. Real imports
are projected to rise more robustly, at an annual rate of about 5½ percent both in the
second half and next year. In total, we project that real net exports of goods and services
will be a drag on the change in real GDP beyond the near term, subtracting about
¾ percentage point from the annual rate of change in the second half and about

Domestic Developments

Class II FOMC—Restricted (FR) I-15

½ percentage point in 2010. (The International Developments section provides more
detail on the outlook for the external sector.)
Aggregate Supply, the Labor Market, and Inflation
We have made no changes to our estimates of structural labor productivity and potential
GDP. Structural productivity is still assumed to grow 1¾ percent per year in both 2009
and 2010, while potential GDP growth is assumed to be 2¼ percent per year. With actual
GDP projected to remain weak well into this year, the level of real GDP is expected to
fall 6 percent short of potential by year-end. Real GDP is expected to increase more
rapidly than potential in 2010, causing the gap to narrow to 5½ percent by the end of that
year.
Productivity and the labor market. Labor productivity appears to have risen faster
than our estimate of its structural rate last year despite the downturn in activity. But we
expect productivity to turn down sharply in the first half of this year, bringing output per
hour below our estimate of its structural level—the pattern often seen in a downturn—as
firms become increasingly reluctant to shed core personnel even as demand falls to low
levels. From this lower level, productivity is then projected to rise more rapidly than
trend as firms in recovering sectors have room to boost output without initially adding to
payrolls. Accordingly, job losses in the private sector are expected to continue, though at
a diminishing pace, through the second half of the year. Specifically, our projection calls
for private payroll employment to fall about 170,000 per month in the second quarter and
about 60,000 per month in the second half of this year, with the unemployment rate
peaking at 8.5 percent in early 2010. As production and sales accelerate next year,
private payrolls begin to turn up, with the pace of job gains strengthening to about
150,000 per month by the end of 2010. Next year’s pace of employment growth is
sufficient to bring down the unemployment rate to about 8 percent by the end of the
forecast period.4
Prices and labor costs. As noted above, we interpret the recent low readings on core
inflation as largely transitory, reflecting heavy price discounting in reaction to weak
demand and excess inventories. Thus, beyond the near term, we expect core inflation to

4

As in the December Greenbook, we estimate that the availability of EUC benefits will raise the
unemployment rate about ¼ percentage point this year and ½ percentage point in 2010 by inducing workers
to extend their job search and remain in the labor force.

I-16

Part 1: Summary and Outlook, January 22, 2009

Class II FOMC—Restricted (FR)

Decomposition of Structural Labor Productivity
Nonfarm Business Sector
(Percent change, Q4 to Q4, except as noted)
1974- 1996- 200195
2000
06

Measure
Structural labor productivity
Previous Greenbook
Contributions1
Capital deepening
Previous Greenbook
Multifactor productivity
Previous Greenbook
Labor composition
MEMO
Potential GDP
Previous Greenbook

2007

2008

2009

2010

1.5
1.5

2.5
2.5

2.6
2.6

2.1
2.1

1.9
1.9

1.7
1.7

1.7
1.7

.7
.7
.5
.5
.3

1.4
1.4
.7
.7
.3

.7
.7
1.6
1.6
.3

.6
.6
1.2
1.2
.2

.4
.4
1.3
1.3
.2

-.0
-.0
1.6
1.6
.2

.1
.1
1.5
1.5
.1

3.0
3.0

3.4
3.4

2.6
2.6

2.5
2.5

2.5
2.5

2.2
2.2

2.2
2.2

Note: Components may not sum to totals because of rounding. For multiyear periods, the
percent change is the annual average from Q4 of the year preceding the first year shown to Q4 of
the last year shown.
1. Percentage points.

The Outlook for the Labor Market
(Percent change, Q4 to Q4, except as noted)
Measure
Output per hour, nonfarm business
Previous Greenbook
Nonfarm private payroll employment
Previous Greenbook
Household survey employment
Previous Greenbook
Labor force participation rate1
Previous Greenbook
Civilian unemployment rate1
Previous Greenbook
MEMO
GDP gap2
Previous Greenbook

2007

2008

2009

2010

2.7
2.7
.9
.9
.4
.4
66.0
66.0
4.8
4.8

2.4
2.0
-1.9
-1.8
-1.5
-1.3
65.9
65.9
6.9
6.7

1.1
.8
-2.2
-1.9
-1.1
-.9
65.5
65.5
8.4
8.1

2.0
2.4
1.0
.4
1.1
.6
65.3
65.3
8.1
8.2

-.3
-.3

-3.2
-3.1

-6.0
-6.0

-5.5
-5.8

1. Percent, average for the fourth quarter.
2. Actual less potential GDP in the fourth quarter of the year indicated as a
percent of potential GDP. A negative number thus indicates that the economy
is operating below potential.

Domestic Developments

Class II FOMC—Restricted (FR) I-17

move back up, about in line with our projection in the December Greenbook.5 The other
key determinants of inflation are little revised. We still expect slack in resource
utilization, subdued import prices, and reduced costs of energy and other materials to
hold down inflation—and inflation expectations—in the period ahead. In all, we project
Inflation Projections
(Percent change, Q4 to Q4, except as noted)
Measure

2007

2008

2009

2010

3.5
3.5

1.7
1.9

.6
.7

1.1
1.0

Food and beverages
Previous Greenbook

4.5
4.5

6.2
6.3

2.0
2.0

1.2
1.0

Energy
Previous Greenbook

19.1
19.1

-9.8
-9.8

-8.8
-8.1

5.2
4.8

2.2
2.2

1.9
2.0

1.0
1.1

.8
.8

4.0
4.0

1.5
1.7

.4
.7

1.3
1.3

Excluding food and energy
Previous Greenbook

2.3
2.3

2.0
2.1

1.3
1.3

1.0
1.0

GDP chain-weighted price index
Previous Greenbook

2.6
2.6

2.3
2.6

1.5
1.5

.9
.8

ECI for compensation of private
industry workers1
Previous Greenbook

3.0
3.0

2.5
2.5

1.9
2.0

1.5
1.6

Compensation per hour,
nonfarm business sector
Previous Greenbook

3.6
3.6

3.4
3.2

2.1
2.4

1.5
1.6

Prices of core goods imports2
Previous Greenbook

3.4
3.4

3.4
3.9

-3.2
-2.7

1.3
1.3

PCE chain-weighted price index
Previous Greenbook

Excluding food and energy
Previous Greenbook
Consumer price index
Previous Greenbook

1. December to December.
2. Core goods imports exclude computers, semiconductors, oil, and
natural gas.

5

We boosted our projection for core PCE inflation in the second quarter to reflect the likely imposition
of a substantial increase in the federal excise tax on cigarettes, which is part of expected legislation to
increase funding for the State Children’s Health Insurance Program.

I-18

Class II FOMC—Restricted (FR)

Part 1: Summary and Outlook, January 22, 2009

core PCE prices, which rose 1.9 percent last year, to increase 1.0 percent in 2009 and
0.8 percent in 2010. Given the declines in energy prices that continue into the current
quarter (on a quarterly average basis), headline PCE price inflation is projected to
average 0.6 percent this year, a little less than core inflation. In 2010, we expect overall
PCE prices to rise 1.1 percent, a bit faster than core because of the projected upward
trend in oil prices.
Our projection for labor compensation is a little lower in coming quarters than in the
December Greenbook, reflecting the more pronounced weakening in labor market
conditions and increasing indications that bonuses have been especially low around the
turn of the year. We project hourly compensation in the nonfarm business sector to rise
2 percent this year and 1½ percent in 2010. Our projection for the employment cost
index follows a similar trajectory.
The Long-Term Outlook
We have extended the staff forecast to 2013 using the FRB/US model, adjusted to
incorporate staff assessments of long-run potential output growth, fiscal policy, and
foreign economic conditions. The contour of the long-run outlook depends on the
following key assumptions:
•

•
•

•

Monetary policy aims to stabilize PCE inflation at 1¾ percent in the long run,
consistent with the discussion of longer-term inflation forecasts provided by FOMC
participants in October. We have made no provision for further unconventional
policy actions in the construction of this extension.
Risk premiums on corporate bonds and equity continue to fall back toward
historically more normal levels beyond 2010 as financial market strains abate further.
The fiscal stimulus package continues to boost government spending beyond 2010,
reflecting the staff’s assumptions about the rate at which state and local governments
ramp up spending in response to increased grants. However, the level of spending
from this source gradually fades and is small by 2013.
Government budget deficits narrow after 2010, reflecting in part the effects of the
economic recovery on tax receipts and transfer payments. In addition, governments
at all levels are assumed to undertake actions to further reduce their budget deficits.

Domestic Developments

Class II FOMC—Restricted (FR) I-19

The Long-Term Outlook
(Percent change, Q4 to Q4, except as noted)

Measure

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

Real GDP
Civilian unemployment rate1

-0.5
6.9

-0.8
8.4

2.6
8.1

4.9
6.7

5.3
5.5

5.0
4.4

PCE prices, total
Core PCE prices

1.7
1.9

0.6
1.0

1.1
0.8

0.8
0.6

0.7
0.6

0.8
0.7

Federal funds rate1

1.1

0.1

0.1

0.1

0.1

2.3

1. Percent, average for the final quarter of the period.

•

•

Beyond 2010, foreign real GDP expands 4½ percent per year on average while the
dollar depreciates 2½ percent per year in real terms; nominal WTI crude oil prices
rise gradually from recent levels to about $65 per barrel by the end of 2013,
consistent with futures prices. Under these assumptions, movements in prices of
energy and imports have only minor implications for domestic inflation.
The NAIRU remains flat at 4¾ percent, and potential GDP expands a little more than
2½ percent per year, on average, over the 2011-13 period.

The unemployment rate enters 2011 considerably above the staff’s estimate of the
NAIRU. Moreover, inflation is well below the assumed long-run target. Under the
assumptions used to construct the baseline extension, the federal funds rate does not
begin to rise above the effective lower bound until 2013. The lingering effects of
financial upheaval continue to fade, and the recovery in residential construction gains
momentum; coupled with stimulative monetary policy, these factors propel real GDP to
increases of about 5 percent per year, on average, over the 2011-13 period. With actual
output increasing faster than its potential by a wide margin, the unemployment rate
declines steadily over this period and falls below the NAIRU in 2013. Nevertheless,
reflecting the considerable margin of slack on average over this period, inflation moves
down further after 2010.
Financial Flows and Conditions
We expect that the growth of domestic nonfinancial debt will slow from an annual rate of
6½ percent in the fourth quarter of last year to a rate of 4½ percent in the current quarter,
as federal borrowing to address financial market strains slows somewhat from its
extraordinary fourth-quarter rate. Excluding the federal sector, we forecast that the level
of debt will be essentially unchanged in the first quarter, as it was last quarter. In 2009

I-20

Class II FOMC—Restricted (FR)

Part 1: Summary and Outlook, January 22, 2009

and 2010, we project that federal debt will continue to expand at a rapid pace, but
borrowing by households and nonfinancial businesses is expected to be extremely weak
by historical standards.
We estimate that household debt contracted at an annual rate of about 2¾ percent last
quarter, and we expect a similar decline this quarter. Mortgage borrowing and consumer
credit have been sharply curtailed by the effects of falling home prices, very weak
household spending, and tighter terms and standards for loans. With these conditions
expected to persist well into this year and to ease only gradually thereafter, we expect
household debt to contract in 2009 and to expand only a little in 2010.
Growth of nonfinancial business debt is anticipated to slow to an annual rate of
2¼ percent this quarter, down from 2¾ percent in the fourth quarter. The continued
slowdown reflects weaker demand for credit in light of the deterioration in the
macroeconomic outlook, the high costs of borrowing in the corporate bond market, and
tighter terms and standards for bank loans. We expect that overall credit conditions will
begin to ease later this year but that business borrowing will remain relatively weak
throughout the forecast period, reflecting a tepid pace of capital spending.
Federal government debt surged in the second half of 2008 at an annual rate of more than
35 percent and is expected to increase about 22 percent in 2009 and 13 percent in 2010.
The effects of cyclical shortfalls in tax receipts, a large fiscal stimulus package, and
outlays by the Treasury associated with the GSEs and the TARP are projected to result in
federal borrowing of more than $1.4 trillion in 2009 and nearly $1 trillion in 2010.
We anticipate that state and local government debt will increase at an annual rate of about
5 percent this quarter, up from the anemic 1 percent pace in the fourth quarter that largely
reflected strained conditions in the municipal bond market. Although conditions in the
bond market improved somewhat late last year, and we expect further recovery this year,
we think that the deteriorating outlook for the fiscal positions of state and local
governments will restrain borrowing in 2009 and 2010.
M2 expanded sharply in the fourth quarter, reflecting increased household demand for
safe and liquid assets and depository institutions’ aggressive bidding for small time
deposits. We expect M2 to rise more slowly in 2009 but still faster than the rise in
nominal GDP because of the lagged effects of recent declines in opportunity cost. In
2010, we expect the increase in M2 to be roughly in line with that of nominal GDP.

Domestic Developments

Class II FOMC—Restricted (FR) I-21

Alternative Scenarios
In this section, we illustrate risks to the staff forecast using simulations of the FRB/US
model. In the first scenario, financial market turmoil is greater and more persistent than
in the baseline, while the second scenario examines the implications of even more
cautious spending by households and firms than that factored into the staff forecast. In
contrast to these two pessimistic scenarios, the next one considers the possibility that the
recovery from the recession will be more in line with historical experience and thus faster
than we anticipate. The fourth scenario illustrates the potential stimulus from a program
that doubles the size of the ongoing program to purchase agency MBS and initiates largescale purchases of long-term Treasury securities. The fifth and sixth scenarios then focus
on opposing inflation risks—specifically, that we have underestimated deflationary
pressures, as suggested by some of our models, or, by contrast, that long-run inflation
expectations will remain solidly anchored rather than drifting down as in the baseline
forecast. In each of these scenarios, we assume that the federal funds rate follows the
prescriptions of a version of the Taylor rule, subject to an effective lower bound of
12½ basis points.6
More financial stress. In the baseline projection, we continue to anticipate that financial
market strains will gradually wane over the next two years. However, the unexpectedly
large losses reported by some banks in recent weeks highlight the risks attending our
baseline assumption. In this scenario, we assume that credit losses continue to mount and
that solvency concerns for many financial institutions intensify further and remain
elevated through 2010, with adverse consequences for asset prices, the cost of borrowing,
and credit availability. Specifically, risk premiums on conventional mortgages,
investment-grade private securities, and corporate equity move up about 100 basis points
from their current levels over the next few months and then come down more slowly than
in the baseline. In this environment, problems in the housing market deepen by more
than in the staff projection, causing home prices to decline an additional 10 percent
relative to baseline by the end of 2010; prices only slowly return to baseline thereafter.
We also assume that these more adverse financial conditions spill over to activity abroad,
causing foreign output to expand about 1 percentage point per year more slowly in 2009
and 2010, on average, than in the baseline; weaker global activity, in turn, drives the
price of crude oil about $10 per barrel below baseline, on average, over the next two
years.
The rule is it = ρt + πt + 0.5(πt – π*) + 1.0yt , where it is the nominal funds rate, ρt is a weighted
moving average of past values of the real federal funds rate, πt is the four-quarter rate of core PCE inflation,
π* is the inflation target (assumed to equal 1.75 percent), and yt is the output gap.
6

I-22

Part 1: Summary and Outlook, January 22, 2009

Class II FOMC—Restricted (FR)

Alternative Scenarios
(Percent change, annual rate, from end of preceding period except as noted)

2008

2009

Measure and scenario

2010 2011 201213

H2

H1

H2

Real GDP
Greenbook extension
More financial stress
More cautious spending
Faster recovery
Large-scale asset purchases
Deflation
Anchored inflation expectations

-2.7
-2.7
-2.7
-2.7
-2.7
-2.7
-2.7

-3.5
-4.5
-6.1
-3.4
-3.3
-3.5
-3.5

2.0
-0.3
0.2
5.6
2.6
2.0
2.0

2.6
0.6
1.7
6.1
3.3
2.5
2.7

4.9
4.2
4.4
5.5
5.8
4.6
5.1

5.1
5.2
4.7
2.5
5.3
4.6
5.2

Unemployment rate1
Greenbook extension
More financial stress
More cautious spending
Faster recovery
Large-scale asset purchases
Deflation
Anchored inflation expectations

6.9
6.9
6.9
6.9
6.9
6.9
6.9

8.2
8.3
8.5
8.2
8.2
8.2
8.2

8.4
8.9
9.1
8.0
8.3
8.4
8.4

8.1
9.3
9.2
6.4
7.7
8.1
8.1

6.7
8.2
7.9
4.5
6.0
6.8
6.6

4.4
5.6
5.7
4.0
3.6
4.8
4.3

Core PCE inflation
Greenbook extension
More financial stress
More cautious spending
Faster recovery
Large-scale asset purchases
Deflation
Anchored inflation expectations

1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5

1.2
1.2
1.2
1.2
1.3
0.8
1.2

0.9
0.7
0.8
0.9
1.0
0.4
1.0

0.8
0.3
0.5
1.2
1.0
0.1
1.2

0.6
-0.2
0.0
1.4
0.9
-0.3
1.2

0.7
-0.2
-0.3
1.7
1.0
-0.6
1.5

Federal funds rate1
Greenbook extension
More financial stress
More cautious spending
Faster recovery
Large-scale asset purchases
Deflation
Anchored inflation expectations

1.1
1.1
1.1
1.1
1.1
1.1
1.1

0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1

0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1

0.1
0.1
0.1
1.4
0.1
0.1
0.1

0.1
0.1
0.1
4.3
0.1
0.1
0.1

2.3
0.1
0.1
5.0
4.9
0.1
3.8

1. Percent, average for the final quarter of the period.

The additional financial market stress causes household and business spending to weaken
more appreciably than in the staff projection. Real GDP contracts 2½ percent in 2009
(1½ percentage points more than in the baseline) and increases only ½ percent in 2010.
The unemployment rate peaks at 9¼ percent next year, and inflation declines to

Domestic Developments

Class II FOMC—Restricted (FR) I-23

¼ percent. GDP growth picks up further after 2010, but with so much slack persisting
through late 2013—the unemployment rate is still ¾ percentage point above the NAIRU
at that point—the economy shifts into modest deflation. Under these conditions, the
federal funds rate remains pinned at its effective lower bound through 2013.
More cautious spending. Reflecting a variety of adverse factors, the staff forecast
incorporates a marked cutback in private spending this year and next. Nevertheless, we
may have underestimated the degree to which the uncertain prospects for recovery will
lead consumers to postpone spending; we may also have underestimated the desire of
households to repair their balance sheets over time. In this scenario, the personal saving
rate moves up to more than 6½ percent in 2010, compared with a bit less than 5 percent
in the staff projection; beyond 2010, the saving rate remains elevated relative to baseline
by roughly the same amount. Heightened uncertainty may also affect business spending
more than we have assumed in the baseline, and reflecting these concerns, real business
fixed investment contracts more significantly this year and expands more sluggishly next
year, leaving the level of such expenditures about 12 percent below baseline by the end of
2010. These developments, although quite adverse, would only be just outside the
90 percent confidence interval of our models; moreover, even such a persistent cutback in
household spending would still leave the personal saving rate well below its average over
the past 50 years.
The higher degree of caution leads to a sharper contraction in GDP and a more severe
deterioration in labor market conditions—a situation exacerbated by the inability of
conventional monetary policy actions to provide much offset. Real GDP contracts almost
3 percent in 2009 and expands only 1¾ percent in 2010; overall economic activity
remains subdued relative to baseline through 2013. Correspondingly, the unemployment
rate peaks at 9¼ percent in 2010 and thereafter declines quite slowly, falling back to
5¾ percent by late 2013. As in the previous scenario, the substantial and persistent
economic slack in this simulation puts considerable downward pressure on wages and
prices. As a result, the economy shifts into a mildly deflationary state by 2012.
Faster recovery. Our baseline outlook is for a sluggish recovery despite considerable
stimulus from monetary and fiscal policy. In this scenario, the baseline fiscal package, a
federal funds rate close to zero, and the various liquidity and credit-easing programs now
in place or already announced prove more successful in jump-starting the economy than
we assume in the baseline. As a result, business and household sentiment bounces back
more quickly and financial stress abates faster than in the baseline forecast. The

I-24

Class II FOMC—Restricted (FR)

Part 1: Summary and Outlook, January 22, 2009

reduction in financial market stress is reflected in lower risk premiums on conventional
mortgages, investment-grade private securities, and corporate equity, which decline about
50 basis points below their baseline paths. Moreover, real estate prices undershoot their
fundamental values by less in this environment, and house prices are 5 percent above
baseline by late 2010. Finally, improved financial conditions and healthier household
and business balance sheets lead to greater credit availability than in the baseline,
augmenting the stimulus to consumption and investment.
Under these assumptions, real GDP rises at an annual rate of 5½ percent in the second
half of 2009 and at an average pace of about 5¾ in 2010 and 2011. Thus, this cyclical
episode turns out to be more V-shaped, similar to the average pattern seen before the past
two U-shaped business cycles. The unemployment rate peaks at 8¼ percent in mid-2009
and falls rapidly thereafter, falling below the NAIRU in 2011. Because of the stronger
real activity, actual and expected inflation remain closer to the presumed target; by 2013,
core PCE inflation is 1¾ percent, a percentage point higher than the baseline rate. With a
robust recovery under way in 2010, monetary policy boosts the federal funds rate to
1½ percent by the end of next year and 4¼ percent by late 2011.
Large-scale asset purchases. In the baseline forecast, the economy recovers only
gradually even though the federal funds rate remains close to zero for several years.
Accordingly, the Federal Reserve System may wish to provide stimulus through the
expansion of various liquidity and credit-easing programs. To illustrate this possibility,
we assume in this scenario that the Federal Reserve purchases an additional $500 billion
in agency debt and MBS beyond that already announced, as well as $500 billion in longterm Treasury securities. We assume that these transactions are completed by early 2010;
these positions are gradually unwound in 2012 and 2013 as the economy recovers.
Based on the admittedly limited historical evidence, the staff estimates that these actions
would lower the interest rate on conventional 30-year mortgages by about 125 basis
points and yields on 10-year Treasury securities and Baa-rated corporate bonds by about
75 basis points.7 We assume that long-term interest rates fall by these amounts over the
7

The empirical evidence underlying these estimates is discussed in two of the notes on zero-lowerbound issues that were circulated to the Committee on December 5, 2008: “Purchases of Longer-Term
Treasury Securities,” by Spence Hilton and Joe Gagnon, and “Purchases of Agency MBS and Debt,” by
Joe Gagnon. In the simulation, we have reduced the initial effect of the program on interest rates
somewhat, because financial market participants already had put some weight on the possibility that such
actions will be undertaken, and in the baseline, this anticipation (which ultimately is not met) holds down
long-term rates for a time.

Domestic Developments

Class II FOMC—Restricted (FR) I-25

next several quarters, and that thereafter, the effect of the program on yields persists until
the program begins to unwind in 2012. Lower long-term bond yields in turn reduce the
user cost of capital, boost the value of corporate equity, and put downward pressure on
the real exchange rate. Investment, consumption, and net exports pick up gradually in
response, and real GDP rises about ¾ percentage point faster than baseline, per year,
from 2009 to 2011. As a result, labor market conditions improve relative to baseline
starting next year and inflation declines less markedly. With inflation and real activity
both higher than in the baseline, the federal funds rate lifts off from the zero lower bound
in early 2012, a year earlier than in the baseline.
Deflation. Although the staff projection assumes that persistent economic slack and
falling commodity prices will have a sizable depressing effect on inflation, some
reduced-form models suggest even larger effects. In this scenario, we follow these
models, with the result that core PCE inflation declines to zero by 2010 and falls a bit
below negative ½ percent in 2012 and 2013. In response, the federal funds rate remains
at zero through 2013, and inflation expectations drift down further.
With the federal funds rate pinned at its effective lower bound, the decline in inflation
raises real interest rates relative to baseline. However, the effects on real activity through
this channel are small, in part because the decline in long-run inflation expectations is
small, especially early in the simulation period. Rather, real activity is more importantly
affected through another channel: the assumption that lower-than-expected inflation will
raise the real debt burden of firms and households, thereby increasing default
probabilities and contributing to higher risk premiums.8 Based on micro-level studies, we
estimate that this scenario’s higher leverage ratios would by themselves raise the Baarated corporate bond spread 60 basis points relative to baseline by 2011 and lower equity
prices about 20 percent. By 2013, these less favorable financial conditions boost the
unemployment rate ½ percentage point relative to baseline.
Anchored inflation expectations. In the staff forecast, core inflation drops below
1 percent in 2010 and edges down further through 2012 despite improving economic
conditions. Long-run inflation expectations are a key element in this projection; the staff
expects them to move down to 1 percent by 2012 in response to persistently low readings
on headline inflation, continued economic slack, and, with the federal funds rate pinned
at its effective lower bound, the perception that the Federal Reserve will be unable to
8

While this channel is always at work when inflation falls short of expectations, it is accentuated at the
zero bound because monetary policy cannot act to offset the adverse effects of these greater debt burdens.

I-26

Class II FOMC—Restricted (FR)

Part 1: Summary and Outlook, January 22, 2009

reverse these factors anytime soon. In this scenario, long-run inflation expectations
remain near their assumed current level of about 2 percent, thereby preventing any shortrun decline in actual inflation from becoming entrenched in wage and price formation.
As a result, as activity recovers, so does inflation. In response, the federal funds rate
begins to increase starting in 2012 and climbs to 3¾ percent in 2013. However, real
economic activity is slightly stronger than baseline because better-anchored inflation
expectations result in somewhat lower long-term real interest rates.
Assessment of Forecast Uncertainty
Although the risks associated with the staff forecast are always considerable, we continue
to view the current outlook as much more uncertain than usual. The disruptions to credit
market functioning and to the stability of financial institutions have been extraordinary,
and since last fall they have sparked an abrupt and pronounced contraction in real
activity. Fiscal and monetary policy have responded to these developments in almost
unprecedented ways: The federal funds rate has reached its lower bound, the Federal
Reserve has initiated a range of new unconventional liquidity and credit actions, and the
federal government is poised to enact a remarkably large fiscal stimulus package. All
these developments limit the applicability of the historical analyses and models used to
guide our projections, and so we see the range of plausible outcomes for real GDP and
unemployment as being much wider than usual. In addition, we still see the risks as
being skewed to the downside.
We also view the price outlook as more uncertain than usual. In particular, our standard
inflation forecasting tools may be of limited usefulness under the extreme conditions we
project, with the economy in deep recession and monetary policy unable to provide
further stimulus through conventional means. For this reason, we suspect that our
history-based confidence intervals probably understate both the risk of deflation and the
chance that inflation could run considerably above the baseline forecast. We judge the
risks to our price forecast as roughly balanced.

Domestic Developments

Class II FOMC—Restricted (FR) I-27

Selected Greenbook Projections and 70 Percent Confidence Intervals Derived
from Historical Greenbook Forecast Errors and FRB/US Simulations
Measure
Real GDP
(percent change, Q4 to Q4)
Projection
Confidence interval
Greenbook forecast errors
FRB/US stochastic simulations
Civilian unemployment rate
(percent, Q4)
Projection
Confidence interval
Greenbook forecast errors
FRB/US stochastic simulations
PCE prices, total
(percent change, Q4 to Q4)
Projection
Confidence interval
Greenbook forecast errors
FRB/US stochastic simulations
PCE prices excluding
food and energy
(percent change, Q4 to Q4)
Projection
Confidence interval
Greenbook forecast errors
FRB/US stochastic simulations
Federal funds rate
(percent, Q4)
Projection
Confidence interval
FRB/US stochastic simulations

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

-0.5

-0.8

2.6

4.9

5.3

5.0

-.6– -.3
-.6– -.3

-2.2–.7
-1.9–.2

1.2–4.0
1.3–3.8

...
3.4–6.1

...
3.7–6.6

...
3.5–6.4

6.9

8.4

8.1

6.7

5.5

4.4

6.8–6.9
6.8–6.9

8.0–8.9
8.1–8.8

7.2–8.9
7.6–8.7

...
6.2–7.5

...
5.0–6.3

...
3.9–5.3

1.7

0.6

1.1

0.8

0.7

0.8

1.6–1.9
1.7–1.8

-.2–1.4
.0–1.2

.1–2.0
.3–1.7

...
-.1–1.6

...
-.3–1.5

...
-.3–1.6

1.9

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.6

0.7

1.7–2.0
1.8–1.9

.5–1.5
.6–1.4

-.1–1.6
.2–1.3

...
-.1–1.2

...
-.3–1.2

...
-.2–1.4

1.1

0.1

0.1

0.1

0.1

2.3

1.1–1.1

.1–1.1

.1–1.5

.1–1.5

.1–1.5

.5–3.7

Notes: Intervals derived from Greenbook forecast errors are based on projections made from 1987-2007.
Shocks underlying FRB/US stochastic simulations are randomly drawn from the 1987-2007 set of
model equation residuals.
. . . Not applicable. The Greenbook forecast horizon has typically extended about two years.

I-28

Class II FOMC - Restricted (FR)

Forecast Confidence Intervals and Alternative Scenarios
Confidence Intervals Based on FRB/US Stochastic Simulations
Greenbook extension
More financial stress
More cautious spending

Faster recovery
Large-scale asset purchases

Real GDP

Deflation
Anchored inflation expectations

Unemployment Rate
4-quarter percent change

Percent
8
7

9.0

5

70 percent interval

9.5

6

90 percent interval

10.0

8.5
8.0

4

7.5

3

7.0

2

6.5
1

6.0

0

5.5

-1

5.0

-2

4.5

-3

4.0

-4

3.5
3.0

-5
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

PCE Prices excluding Food and Energy

Federal Funds Rate

4-quarter percent change

Percent
2.5

6

2.0

5

1.5
4
1.0
3
0.5
2
0.0
1
-0.5
0

-1.0

-1

-1.5
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

I-29
Class II FOMC - Restricted (FR)

Evolution of the Staff Forecast
Change in Real GDP
Percent, Q4/Q4
3.5

3.5

3.0

3.0

2010
2009

2.5

2.5

2008

2.0

2.0

1.5

1.5

1.0

1.0

0.5

0.5

0.0

0.0

-0.5

-0.5

-1.0

-1.0

-1.5

1/24

3/14

5/2

6/20

8/2

9/12

10/24 12/5

1/23

3/13

4/23

2007

6/18

7/30

9/10

10/22

12/10 1/22

3/11

4/22

2008

6/17

8/5

9/16

10/29 12/9

-1.5

2009

Greenbook publication date

Unemployment Rate
Percent, fourth quarter
9.0

9.0

8.5

8.5

8.0

8.0

7.5

7.5

7.0

7.0

6.5

6.5

6.0

6.0
2010

5.5

4.5

5.5

2009
2008

5.0
1/24

3/14

5/2

5.0

6/20

8/2

9/12

10/24 12/5

1/23

2007

3/13

4/23

6/18

7/30

9/10

10/22

12/10 1/22

3/11

4/22

2008

6/17

8/5

9/16

10/29 12/9

4.5

2009

Greenbook publication date

Change in PCE Prices excluding Food and Energy
Percent, Q4/Q4
3.0

3.0

2.5

2.5

2.0

2.0
2008

2009

1.5

1.5
2010

1.0

0.5

1.0

1/24

3/14

5/2

6/20

8/2

2007

9/12

10/24 12/5

1/23

3/13

4/23

6/18

7/30

2008

9/10

10/22

12/10 1/22

Greenbook publication date

3/11

4/22

6/17

2009

8/5

9/16

10/29 12/9

0.5

I-30

(This page intentionally blank.)

3.8
.6
-1.3
2.5
2.9
3.6

4.9
2.2
.6
3.2
4.8
3.6
.0
2.7

Two-quarter2
2008:Q2
Q4
2009:Q2
Q4
2010:Q2
Q4

Four-quarter3
2007:Q4
2008:Q4
2009:Q4
2010:Q4

Annual
2007
2008
2009
2010
4.8
3.5
-.3
3.2

4.9
1.9
.7
3.6

3.8
.0
-1.7
3.2
3.3
3.8

3.5
4.1
3.4
-3.3
-4.3
1.0
3.2
3.2
3.2
3.4
3.6
4.0

1/22/09

2.0
1.2
-2.0
1.8

2.3
-.4
-.9
2.4

1.8
-2.6
-3.1
1.3
2.1
2.8

.9
2.8
-.4
-4.7
-5.0
-1.2
1.0
1.6
1.9
2.2
2.6
3.0

12/10/08

2.0
1.2
-2.1
2.1

2.3
-.5
-.8
2.6

1.8
-2.7
-3.5
2.0
2.3
2.9

.9
2.8
-.5
-4.9
-5.6
-1.3
1.8
2.1
2.2
2.4
2.7
3.1

1/22/09

Real GDP

2.6
3.3
.1
1.2

3.5
1.9
.7
1.0

3.9
-.1
.2
1.3
1.1
1.0

3.6
4.3
5.2
-5.1
-1.8
2.2
1.5
1.2
1.1
1.1
1.0
.9

12/10/08

2.6
3.3
-.2
1.2

3.5
1.7
.6
1.1

3.9
-.4
-.2
1.4
1.1
1.0

3.6
4.3
5.0
-5.6
-2.3
1.9
1.5
1.2
1.2
1.1
1.0
1.0

1/22/09

PCE price index

January 22, 2009

2.2
2.2
1.5
.8

2.2
2.0
1.1
.8

2.2
1.9
1.4
.9
.8
.8

2.3
2.2
2.6
1.2
1.5
1.3
1.0
.8
.8
.8
.8
.7

12/10/08

2.2
2.2
1.2
.9

2.2
1.9
1.0
.8

2.2
1.5
1.2
.9
.8
.8

2.3
2.2
2.4
.6
.8
1.6
1.0
.8
.8
.8
.8
.7

1/22/09

4.6
5.7
7.9
8.2

.4
1.9
1.4
.1

.5
1.4
1.1
.3
.2
-.1

4.9
5.3
6.0
6.7
7.5
7.8
8.0
8.1
8.3
8.3
8.2
8.2

12/10/08

4.6
5.8
8.2
8.3

.4
2.1
1.5
-.3

.6
1.5
1.3
.2
.0
-.3

4.9
5.4
6.0
6.9
7.7
8.2
8.3
8.4
8.5
8.4
8.2
8.1

1/22/09

Core PCE price index Unemployment rate1

Changes in GDP, Prices, and Unemployment
(Percent, annual rate except as noted)

1. Level, except for two-quarter and four-quarter intervals.
2. Percent change from two quarters earlier; for unemployment rate, change is in percentage points.
3. Percent change from four quarters earlier; for unemployment rate, change is in percentage points.

3.5
4.1
3.6
-2.4
-3.0
.4
2.4
2.5
2.7
3.1
3.4
3.7

12/10/08

Nominal GDP

Quarterly
2008:Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
2009:Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
2010:Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4

Interval

Class II FOMC
Restricted (FR)

I-31

Q1

-10
-10
-18
6

-51
-51
-55
2

3.9
3.9
6.6
7.3
5.0
2.5

-381
-381
12.3
-7.3

2.5
2.5
-5.0
-5.0
18.5
18.5

-13.3
-13.3

1.2
1.2
-2.8
3.9
.7

4.4
4.4
.7
.7

2.8
2.8

Q2
-.5
-.4

Q3

-30
-33
-33
2

5.8
5.8
13.8
18.0
5.1
1.3

-353
-352
3.0
-3.5

-1.7
-.6
-7.5
-5.7
9.7
9.5

-16.0
-15.7

-3.8
-3.7
-14.8
-7.1
-.1

-1.3
-1.1
-4.1
-3.9

2008

-43
-29
-44
1

3.4
1.2
8.8
13.2
-.7
.4

-359
-343
-19.9
-15.4

-12.9
-14.0
-20.3
-18.2
1.5
-6.1

-28.1
-27.0

-3.9
-4.3
-23.6
-7.8
1.7

-4.5
-4.9
-6.1
-6.6

-4.9
-4.7

Q4

-101
-73
-100
1

.4
-.4
1.1
.9
1.7
.0

-322
-316
-5.1
-11.7

-19.8
-19.8
-19.0
-18.1
-21.0
-22.7

-40.7
-32.5

-1.7
-1.3
-4.9
-4.3
.0

-3.6
-3.5
-5.9
-5.2

-5.6
-5.0

Q1

-86
-73
-85
1

2.8
2.1
2.9
3.3
1.8
2.7

-324
-311
-2.7
-1.9

-19.3
-19.6
-13.2
-14.1
-28.7
-28.4

-21.0
-10.4

.6
.9
9.2
-.8
-.1

-1.8
-1.2
-2.8
-2.2

-1.3
-1.2

Q2

-33
-19
-34
1

3.4
1.4
2.1
2.1
2.0
4.2

-342
-324
-1.0
3.3

-15.9
-15.7
-9.8
-10.1
-25.6
-25.0

8.6
-3.0

1.7
1.4
7.2
1.1
1.2

-.1
-.8
-.3
-.9

1.8
1.0

Q3

2009

21
22
20
1

3.1
1.8
3.3
2.4
5.2
3.1

-375
-344
.7
8.2

-11.6
-12.3
-5.3
-7.0
-22.0
-21.4

13.8
9.9

2.0
2.0
4.9
1.3
1.9

.2
.1
.7
.5

2.1
1.6

Q4

47
42
46
1

3.1
1.9
3.5
1.2
8.7
2.9

-406
-372
1.4
8.3

-4.1
-.9
.0
5.3
-11.5
-12.0

10.5
8.6

2.6
2.3
5.6
1.7
2.5

1.3
1.2
2.1
2.2

2.2
1.9

Q1

Changes in Real Gross Domestic Product and Related Items
(Percent, annual rate except as noted)

1. Change from fourth quarter of previous year to fourth quarter of year indicated.
2. Billions of chained (2000) dollars.

Change in bus. inventories2
Previous Greenbook2
Nonfarm2
Farm2

1.9
1.9
5.8
7.3
2.9
-.3

Govt. cons. & invest.
Previous Greenbook
Federal
Defense
Nondefense
State & local

Residential investment
Previous Greenbook

-462
-462
5.1
-.8

-25.1
-25.1

Personal cons. expend.
Previous Greenbook
Durables
Nondurables
Services

Net exports2
Previous Greenbook2
Exports
Imports

.9
.9
-4.3
-.4
2.4

Final sales
Previous Greenbook
Priv. dom. final purch.
Previous Greenbook

2.4
2.4
-.6
-.6
8.6
8.6

.9
.9
-.3
-.3

Real GDP
Previous Greenbook

Business fixed invest.
Previous Greenbook
Equipment & software
Previous Greenbook
Nonres. structures
Previous Greenbook

.9
.9

Item

Class II FOMC
Restricted (FR)

31
23
30
1

2.7
1.6
2.8
1.2
6.3
2.6

-406
-372
2.1
1.5

2.7
4.6
9.6
12.4
-9.5
-10.0

7.3
7.0

2.8
2.8
6.3
2.7
2.3

3.0
2.9
2.9
3.1

2.4
2.2

Q2

3.1
2.9
6.6
3.1
2.7

3.3
2.9
3.8
3.6

2.7
2.6

Q3

15
16
14
1

2.2
.6
.7
1.9
-1.9
3.2

-414
-380
2.8
4.0

6.4
7.3
13.4
14.7
-6.6
-7.0

11.3
11.1

2010

22
28
21
1

2.1
.6
.7
1.9
-1.9
3.0

-438
-397
3.4
7.9

7.5
8.4
13.7
15.1
-4.9
-5.3

11.0
9.1

3.2
3.0
4.1
3.1
3.2

2.9
2.6
3.9
3.7

3.1
3.0

Q4

-33
-31
-38
3

3.8
3.2
8.7
11.4
3.0
1.0

-389
-385
-.7
-6.9

-2.6
-2.7
-8.7
-7.6
9.4
7.2

-20.9
-20.5

-1.4
-1.5
-11.8
-3.0
1.2

-.2
-.3
-2.5
-2.5

-.5
-.4

20081

-50
-36
-50
1

2.4
1.2
2.3
2.2
2.7
2.5

-341
-324
-2.1
-.8

-16.7
-16.9
-12.0
-12.4
-24.4
-24.4

-12.8
-10.4

.6
.7
4.0
-.7
.8

-1.3
-1.4
-2.1
-2.0

-.8
-.9

20091

29
27
28
1

2.5
1.2
1.9
1.6
2.7
2.9

-416
-380
2.4
5.4

3.0
4.8
9.0
11.8
-8.2
-8.6

10.0
8.9

2.9
2.7
5.6
2.6
2.7

2.6
2.4
3.2
3.2

2.6
2.4

20101

January 22, 2009

I-32

1. Billions of chained (2000) dollars.

12
12
15
-2

4.0
4.0
7.8
8.4
6.8
2.1

Govt. cons. & invest.
Previous Greenbook
Federal
Defense
Nondefense
State & local

Change in bus. inventories1
Previous Greenbook1
Nonfarm1
Farm1

-471
-471
3.8
9.7

7.0
7.0

Residential investment
Previous Greenbook

Net exports1
Previous Greenbook1
Exports
Imports

1.9
1.9
1.2
2.1
1.9

Personal cons. expend.
Previous Greenbook
Durables
Nondurables
Services

-6.5
-6.5
-3.4
-3.4
-14.9
-14.9

.8
.8
1.1
1.1

Final sales
Previous Greenbook
Priv. dom. final purch.
Previous Greenbook

Business fixed invest.
Previous Greenbook
Equipment & software
Previous Greenbook
Nonres. structures
Previous Greenbook

1.9
1.9

2002

14
14
14
0

1.7
1.7
5.5
7.5
1.9
-.4

-519
-519
5.8
4.8

4.9
4.9
6.6
6.6
.2
.2

11.7
11.7

3.4
3.4
8.3
3.9
2.2

3.7
3.7
4.1
4.1

3.7
3.7

2003

54
54
48
6

.7
.7
2.4
2.5
2.3
-.4

-594
-594
7.4
11.5

7.5
7.5
9.4
9.4
2.3
2.3

6.7
6.7

3.7
3.7
5.6
3.5
3.3

2.8
2.8
4.3
4.3

3.1
3.1

2004

39
39
39
0

.6
.6
1.0
.8
1.4
.3

-617
-617
7.0
4.8

4.9
4.9
7.0
7.0
-.5
-.5

5.4
5.4

2.6
2.6
1.2
3.6
2.4

2.7
2.7
3.1
3.1

2.7
2.7

2005

42
42
46
-3

2.1
2.1
2.9
4.1
.5
1.6

-616
-616
10.1
3.8

6.5
6.5
4.2
4.2
12.8
12.8

-15.5
-15.5

3.2
3.2
6.9
3.2
2.6

2.8
2.8
2.3
2.3

2.4
2.4

2006

-2
-2
-4
1

2.4
2.4
2.3
2.7
1.5
2.4

-547
-547
8.9
1.1

6.4
6.4
2.8
2.8
14.5
14.5

-19.0
-19.0

2.2
2.2
4.2
1.7
2.1

2.5
2.5
1.4
1.4

2.3
2.3

2007

-33
-31
-38
3

3.8
3.2
8.7
11.4
3.0
1.0

-389
-385
-.7
-6.9

-2.6
-2.7
-8.7
-7.6
9.4
7.2

-20.9
-20.5

-1.4
-1.5
-11.8
-3.0
1.2

-.2
-.3
-2.5
-2.5

-.5
-.4

2008

-50
-36
-50
1

2.4
1.2
2.3
2.2
2.7
2.5

-341
-324
-2.1
-.8

-16.7
-16.9
-12.0
-12.4
-24.4
-24.4

-12.8
-10.4

.6
.7
4.0
-.7
.8

-1.3
-1.4
-2.1
-2.0

-.8
-.9

2009

29
27
28
1

2.5
1.2
1.9
1.6
2.7
2.9

-416
-380
2.4
5.4

3.0
4.8
9.0
11.8
-8.2
-8.6

10.0
8.9

2.9
2.7
5.6
2.6
2.7

2.6
2.4
3.2
3.2

2.6
2.4

2010

January 22, 2009
Changes in Real Gross Domestic Product and Related Items
(Change from fourth quarter of previous year to fourth quarter of year indicated, unless otherwise noted)

Real GDP
Previous Greenbook

Item

Class II FOMC
Restricted (FR)

I-33

Q1

.0
.0
.2
-.2

-1.5
-1.5
-1.4
-.1

.8
.8
.5
.4
.1
.3

2.9
2.9
1.5
1.4

.3
.3
-.4
-.4
.6
.6

-.5
-.5

.9
.9
-.2
.8
.3

4.3
4.3
.6
.6

2.8
2.8

Q2
-.5
-.4

Q3

.8
.7
.8
.0

1.1
1.1
1.0
.9
.1
.2

1.1
1.1
.4
.7

-.2
-.1
-.6
-.4
.4
.4

-.6
-.6

-2.8
-2.7
-1.2
-1.6
.0

-1.4
-1.1
-3.5
-3.3

2008

-.4
.3
-.4
.0

.7
.3
.7
.7
.0
.1

-.1
.4
-2.9
2.8

-1.5
-1.6
-1.5
-1.4
.1
-.2

-1.1
-1.0

-2.7
-3.0
-1.8
-1.7
.8

-4.5
-5.0
-5.2
-5.6

-4.9
-4.7

Q4

-2.0
-1.6
-2.0
-.1

.1
-.1
.1
.1
.0
.0

1.2
.9
-.6
1.9

-2.3
-2.3
-1.4
-1.3
-.9
-1.0

-1.5
-1.1

-1.1
-.9
-.3
-.8
.0

-3.5
-3.4
-4.9
-4.3

-5.6
-5.0

Q1

.6
.0
.5
.0

.6
.4
.2
.2
.0
.3

-.1
.1
-.3
.3

-2.1
-2.2
-.9
-1.0
-1.3
-1.2

-.6
-.3

.4
.6
.6
-.1
.0

-1.8
-1.2
-2.4
-1.8

-1.3
-1.2

Q2

.2
-.1

1.2
1.0
.5
.2
.5

-.1
-.8
-.2
-.7

1.8
1.0

Q3

1.9
1.9
1.9
.0

.7
.3
.2
.1
.0
.5

-.6
-.4
-.1
-.5

-1.6
-1.6
-.6
-.7
-1.0
-1.0

2009

1.9
1.4
1.9
.0

.7
.4
.3
.1
.1
.4

-1.1
-.7
.1
-1.2

-1.1
-1.2
-.3
-.4
-.8
-.8

.3
.3

1.4
1.4
.3
.2
.8

.2
.1
.6
.4

2.1
1.6

Q4

.9
.7
.9
.0

.7
.4
.3
.1
.2
.4

-1.0
-.9
.2
-1.2

-.4
-.1
.0
.3
-.4
-.4

.3
.2

1.8
1.6
.4
.3
1.1

1.3
1.2
1.7
1.8

2.2
1.9

Q1

-.6
-.6
-.6
.0

.6
.3
.2
.1
.2
.3

.0
.0
.2
-.2

.2
.4
.5
.7
-.3
-.3

.2
.2

1.9
1.9
.4
.5
1.0

3.0
2.9
2.4
2.5

2.4
2.2

-.6
-.2
-.6
.0

.5
.1
.1
.1
.0
.4

-.3
-.2
.3
-.6

.6
.6
.7
.8
-.2
-.2

.3
.3

2.2
2.0
.4
.6
1.2

3.3
2.9
3.0
3.0

2.7
2.6

Q3

2010
Q2

Contributions to Changes in Real Gross Domestic Product
(Percentage points, annual rate except as noted)

1. Change from fourth quarter of previous year to fourth quarter of year indicated.

Change in bus. inventories
Previous Greenbook
Nonfarm
Farm

.4
.4
.4
.3
.1
.0

Govt. cons. & invest.
Previous Greenbook
Federal
Defense
Nondefense
State & local

Residential investment
Previous Greenbook

.8
.8
.6
.1

-1.1
-1.1

Personal cons. expend.
Previous Greenbook
Durables
Nondurables
Services

Net exports
Previous Greenbook
Exports
Imports

.6
.6
-.3
-.1
1.0

Final sales
Previous Greenbook
Priv. dom. final purch.
Previous Greenbook

.3
.3
.0
.0
.3
.3

.9
.9
-.3
-.3

Real GDP
Previous Greenbook

Business fixed invest.
Previous Greenbook
Equipment & software
Previous Greenbook
Nonres. structures
Previous Greenbook

.9
.9

Item

Class II FOMC
Restricted (FR)

.2
.4
.2
.0

.5
.1
.1
.1
.0
.4

-.8
-.6
.4
-1.2

.6
.7
.8
.9
-.1
-.1

.3
.2

2.3
2.1
.3
.6
1.4

2.9
2.6
3.2
3.0

3.1
3.0

Q4

-.3
-.1
-.2
-.1

.7
.6
.6
.6
.1
.1

1.1
1.2
-.1
1.2

-.3
-.3
-.6
-.6
.3
.3

-.8
-.8

-1.0
-1.1
-.9
-.6
.5

-.2
-.3
-2.1
-2.2

-.5
-.4

20081

.6
.4
.6
.0

.5
.3
.2
.1
.1
.3

-.1
.0
-.3
.1

-1.8
-1.8
-.8
-.8
-1.0
-1.0

-.4
-.3

.4
.5
.3
-.1
.3

-1.3
-1.4
-1.7
-1.6

-.8
-.9

20091

.0
.0
.0
.0

.5
.2
.2
.1
.1
.4

-.5
-.4
.3
-.8

.3
.4
.5
.7
-.3
-.3

.3
.2

2.0
1.9
.4
.5
1.2

2.6
2.4
2.6
2.6

2.6
2.4

20101

January 22, 2009

I-34

Q1

3.6
3.6
19.0
19.0
4.9
4.9
2.3
2.3
4.3
4.3
2.5
2.5

GDP chain-wt. price index
Previous Greenbook

PCE chain-wt. price index
Previous Greenbook
Energy
Previous Greenbook
Food
Previous Greenbook
Ex. food & energy
Previous Greenbook

CPI

2.6
2.6
3.8
3.8
1.2
1.2
8.5
8.5

Nonfarm business sector
Output per hour
Previous Greenbook
Compensation per hour
Previous Greenbook
Unit labor costs
Previous Greenbook

Core goods imports chain-wt price index3
Previous Greenbook3
10.6
10.6

3.6
3.6
.9
.9
-2.6
-2.6

2.3
2.3

5.0
5.0
1.9
1.9

4.3
4.3
27.4
27.4
6.4
6.4
2.2
2.2

1.1
1.1

Q2

4.6
4.6

1.5
1.4
4.1
4.1
2.6
2.6

2.6
2.6

6.7
6.7
3.2
3.2

5.0
5.2
31.7
31.6
8.5
8.5
2.4
2.6

3.9
4.1

Q3

2008

-9.0
-7.0

1.7
.4
4.7
4.2
3.0
3.8

2.2
2.2

-9.2
-8.5
.4
.8

-5.6
-5.1
-66.8
-66.8
5.0
5.3
.6
1.2

1.7
2.4

Q4

-9.4
-8.5

-3.2
-2.5
2.0
2.2
5.4
4.8

2.0
2.0

-3.7
-3.2
.9
1.6

-2.3
-1.8
-45.4
-48.3
2.4
2.4
.8
1.5

1.3
2.1

Q1

-3.0
-2.4

.6
.2
2.4
2.7
1.8
2.5

1.9
2.0

2.1
2.6
1.7
1.5

1.9
2.2
8.8
19.2
1.8
1.8
1.6
1.3

2.3
1.6

Q2

-1.0
-.7

3.4
2.6
2.1
2.4
-1.3
-.2

1.8
1.9

1.9
1.9
1.3
1.3

1.5
1.5
9.5
8.7
2.0
2.0
1.0
1.0

1.4
1.4

Q3

2009

Changes in Prices and Costs
(Percent, annual rate except as noted)

1. Change from fourth quarter of previous year to fourth quarter of year indicated.
2. Private-industry workers.
3. Core goods imports exclude computers, semiconductors, oil, and natural gas.

3.0
3.0

ECI, hourly compensation2
Previous Greenbook2

Previous Greenbook
Ex. food & energy
Previous Greenbook

2.6
2.6

Item

Class II FOMC
Restricted (FR)

.8
1.0

3.7
2.8
1.8
2.1
-1.8
-.7

1.8
1.9

1.6
1.4
1.1
1.0

1.2
1.2
6.4
6.2
1.7
1.7
.8
.8

1.1
.9

Q4

1.3
1.4

2.6
2.7
1.6
1.8
-.9
-.9

1.6
1.8

1.5
1.4
1.0
1.0

1.2
1.1
6.9
6.3
1.3
1.0
.8
.8

1.0
.8

Q1

1.3
1.4

1.8
2.5
1.5
1.6
-.3
-.8

1.6
1.7

1.4
1.3
1.0
1.0

1.1
1.1
5.7
5.2
1.2
.9
.8
.8

1.0
.9

Q2

1.3
1.3

1.7
2.1
1.5
1.5
-.2
-.6

1.5
1.6

1.3
1.2
1.0
1.0

1.0
1.0
4.5
4.2
1.2
.9
.8
.8

.9
.8

Q3

2010

1.3
1.3

2.0
2.2
1.4
1.4
-.6
-.8

1.5
1.5

1.2
1.1
.9
.9

1.0
.9
3.8
3.6
1.1
.9
.7
.7

.8
.7

Q4

3.4
3.9

2.4
2.0
3.4
3.2
1.0
1.2

2.5
2.5

1.5
1.7
2.0
2.1

1.7
1.9
-9.8
-9.8
6.2
6.3
1.9
2.0

2.3
2.6

20081

-3.2
-2.7

1.1
.8
2.1
2.4
1.0
1.6

1.9
2.0

.4
.7
1.3
1.3

.6
.7
-8.8
-8.1
2.0
2.0
1.0
1.1

1.5
1.5

20091

1.3
1.3

2.0
2.4
1.5
1.6
-.5
-.8

1.5
1.6

1.3
1.3
1.0
1.0

1.1
1.0
5.2
4.8
1.2
1.0
.8
.8

.9
.8

20101

January 22, 2009

I-35

1.8
1.8
7.7
7.7
1.3
1.3
1.6
1.6
2.3
2.3
2.1
2.1

PCE chain-wt price index
Previous Greenbook
Energy
Previous Greenbook
Food
Previous Greenbook
Ex. food & energy
Previous Greenbook

CPI

1.6
1.6

4.7
4.7
5.3
5.3
.5
.5

4.0
4.0

2.0
2.0
1.2
1.2

1.9
1.9
7.6
7.6
2.6
2.6
1.4
1.4

2.2
2.2

2003

3.6
3.6

1.8
1.8
3.9
3.9
2.1
2.1

3.8
3.8

3.4
3.4
2.1
2.1

3.1
3.1
18.3
18.3
2.9
2.9
2.2
2.2

3.2
3.2

2004

1. Private-industry workers.
2. Core goods imports exclude computers, semiconductors, oil and natural gas.

.1
.1

2.9
2.9
3.2
3.2
.2
.2

Nonfarm business sector
Output per hour
Previous Greenbook
Compensation per hour
Previous Greenbook
Unit labor costs
Previous Greenbook

Core goods imports chain-wt. price index2
Previous Greenbook2

3.1
3.1

ECI, hourly compensation1
Previous Greenbook1

Previous Greenbook
Ex. food & energy
Previous Greenbook

1.7
1.7

2002

2.2
2.2

1.5
1.5
3.6
3.6
2.1
2.1

2.9
2.9

3.8
3.8
2.1
2.1

3.3
3.3
23.1
23.1
2.1
2.1
2.2
2.2

3.5
3.5

2005

2.4
2.4

.6
.6
4.3
4.3
3.6
3.6

3.2
3.2

1.9
1.9
2.7
2.7

1.9
1.9
-4.0
-4.0
2.3
2.3
2.3
2.3

2.8
2.8

2006

3.4
3.4

2.7
2.7
3.6
3.6
.9
.9

3.0
3.0

4.0
4.0
2.3
2.3

3.5
3.5
19.1
19.1
4.5
4.5
2.2
2.2

2.6
2.6

2007

3.4
3.9

2.4
2.0
3.4
3.2
1.0
1.2

2.5
2.5

1.5
1.7
2.0
2.1

1.7
1.9
-9.8
-9.8
6.2
6.3
1.9
2.0

2.3
2.6

2008

-3.2
-2.7

1.1
.8
2.1
2.4
1.0
1.6

1.9
2.0

.4
.7
1.3
1.3

.6
.7
-8.8
-8.1
2.0
2.0
1.0
1.1

1.5
1.5

1.3
1.3

2.0
2.4
1.5
1.6
-.5
-.8

1.5
1.6

1.3
1.3
1.0
1.0

1.1
1.0
5.2
4.8
1.2
1.0
.8
.8

.9
.8

2010

January 22, 2009

2009

Changes in Prices and Costs
(Change from fourth quarter of previous year to fourth quarter of year indicated, unless otherwise noted)

GDP chain-wt price index
Previous Greenbook

Item

Class II FOMC
Restricted (FR)

I-36

1.1
15.2
3.5
-.7
-.7
.2
.2
-4.3 -14.3 -4.7 -26.0
11.2 10.6 10.4
9.8
-331
-52
12.4
.0

Housing starts6
Light motor vehicle sales6

Income and saving
Nominal GDP5
Real disposable pers. income5
Previous Greenbook5
Personal saving rate3
Previous Greenbook3

Corporate profits7
Profit share of GNP3

Net federal saving8
Net state & local saving8

Gross national saving rate3
Net national saving rate3

-1.3
6.9
6.7
-3.2
-3.1

3.4
-8.8
-9.2
1.2
1.1

12.3
-.8

-571
-102

-3.3
4.6
5.7
3.3
3.4

.7
10.3

-18.7
8.6

1.0
1.9
.9
5.8
5.8

.6
11.0

-2.3
-1.0
-2.0
.0
68.3
71.2

-.7
8.2
7.8
-5.9
-5.6

Q2

14.3
8.8

3.2
-.1
-.5
5.4
5.4

.7
11.4

1.4
.2
3.2
1.0
68.8
71.3

-.1
8.3
8.0
-6.0
-5.9

Q3

11.5
8.9

3.2
1.0
1.1
5.2
5.3

.8
11.8

2.6
1.4
3.7
1.2
69.4
71.6

-.1
8.4
8.1
-6.0
-6.0

Q4

12.2
-1.3

11.1
-2.7

10.9
-3.0

10.7
-3.1

-904 -1,022 -1,042 -1,060
-15
-43
-50
-55

-30.5
9.1

-4.3
7.4
8.1
5.4
5.7

.5
10.3

-13.8
-6.5
-17.3
-8.5
68.6
71.2

-1.4
7.7
7.5
-5.1
-4.8

Q1

2009

.6
8.4
8.3
-5.9
-6.1

Q2
.3
8.2
8.2
-5.8
-6.0

Q3
.4
8.1
8.2
-5.5
-5.8

Q4

3.4
1.9
1.5
5.0
5.0

7.9
9.4

3.6
2.5
2.0
4.9
4.9

7.3
9.5

4.0
2.3
2.3
4.7
4.8

10.6 10.7 10.6 10.5
-3.3 -3.2 -3.2 -3.3

-987 -973 -994 -996
-50 -55 -52 -52

13.0 11.2
9.1 9.3

3.2
2.4
1.9
5.2
5.2

.8
.8
.9
.9
12.2 12.6 13.1 13.4

3.5 2.9 4.2 4.3
1.6 2.1 3.3 3.3
3.5 3.0 4.5 4.1
1.1 2.0 3.4 3.5
70.1 70.7 71.6 72.4
71.8 72.3 73.0 73.7

.1
8.5
8.3
-5.9
-6.1

Q1

2010

-7.9
8.9

.7
2.5
2.4
5.2
5.3

.6
11.1

-3.2
-1.5
-3.5
-1.7
69.4
71.6

12.3
-.8

10.7
-3.1

-525 -1,007
-81
-41

-12.8
9.8

1.9
1.2
1.3
3.3
3.4

.9
13.1

-6.0
-5.0
-7.7
-6.6
71.9
72.8

-2.3
8.4
8.1
-6.0
-6.0

20091

10.5
-3.3

-988
-52

9.8
9.5

3.6
2.3
1.9
4.7
4.8

.9
12.8

3.7
2.6
3.8
2.5
72.4
73.7

1.4
8.1
8.2
-5.5
-5.8

20101

January 22, 2009

-2.0
6.9
6.7
-3.2
-3.1

20081

1. Change from fourth quarter of previous year to fourth quarter of year indicated, unless otherwise indicated.
2. Change, millions.
3. Percent, annual values are for the fourth quarter of the year indicated.
4. Percent difference between actual and potential GDP; a negative number indicates that the economy is operating below potential.
Annual values are for the fourth quarter of the year indicated.
5. Percent change, annual rate.
6. Level, millions, annual values are annual averages.
7. Percent change, annual rate, with inventory valuation and capital consumption adjustments.
8. Billions of dollars, annual values are annual averages.

11.3 11.4
-1.3 -1.9

-650 -548
-67 -104

4.1
10.7
10.7
2.5
2.5

1.0
.9
14.1 12.9

-3.4 -8.9 -11.5
-3.4 -7.6 -9.1
-4.1 -8.8 -16.2
-4.0 -7.8 -13.2
77.5 75.5 71.9
77.5 75.7 72.8

-.4
6.0
6.0
-1.3
-1.3

.4
.4
-1.0
-1.0
78.7
78.7

-.2
5.4
5.3
-.6
-.6

Industrial production5
Previous Greenbook5
Manufacturing industr. prod.5
Previous Greenbook5
Capacity utilization rate - mfg.3
Previous Greenbook3

Q4

-.1
4.9
4.9
-.7
-.7

Q3

Employment and production
Nonfarm payroll employment2
Unemployment rate3
Previous Greenbook3
GDP gap4
Previous Greenbook4

Q2

Q1

2008

Other Macroeconomic Indicators

Item

Class II FOMC
Restricted (FR)

I-37

-248
-34
13.6
1.5

Net federal saving7
Net state & local saving7

Gross national saving rate2
Net national saving rate2

13.7
1.9

-372
-20

12.6
9.5

5.9
3.7
3.7
2.2
2.2

1.8
16.6

1.5
1.5
1.7
1.7
74.8
74.8

-.1
5.8
5.8
-1.7
-1.7

2003

13.8
2.1

-371
2

20.3
10.8

6.5
4.1
4.1
2.5
2.5

2.0
16.8

3.1
3.1
3.7
3.7
77.5
77.5

2.1
5.4
5.4
-.7
-.7

2004

15.0
2.8

-292
29

18.8
12.0

6.3
.9
.9
.8
.8

2.1
16.9

2.6
2.6
3.7
3.7
79.2
79.2

2.4
4.9
4.9
-.2
-.2

2005

15.5
3.4

-201
46

6.9
12.2

5.3
3.6
3.6
.9
.9

1.8
16.5

1.7
1.7
1.1
1.1
79.0
79.0

2.1
4.4
4.4
-.1
-.1

2006

13.4
1.2

-229
10

-2.0
11.3

4.9
1.8
1.8
.4
.4

1.4
16.1

2.1
2.1
2.3
2.3
79.3
79.3

1.2
4.8
4.8
-.3
-.3

2007

12.3
-.8

-525
-81

-12.8
9.8

1.9
1.2
1.3
3.3
3.4

.9
13.1

-6.0
-5.0
-7.7
-6.6
71.9
72.8

-2.0
6.9
6.7
-3.2
-3.1

2008

10.7
-3.1

-1007
-41

-7.9
8.9

.7
2.5
2.4
5.2
5.3

.6
11.1

-3.2
-1.5
-3.5
-1.7
69.4
71.6

-2.3
8.4
8.1
-6.0
-6.0

2009

10.5
-3.3

-988
-52

9.8
9.5

3.6
2.3
1.9
4.7
4.8

.9
12.8

3.7
2.6
3.8
2.5
72.4
73.7

1.4
8.1
8.2
-5.5
-5.8

1. Change, millions.
2. Percent, values are for the fourth quarter of the year indicated.
3. Percent difference between actual and potential GDP; a negative number indicates that the economy is operating below potential.
Values are for the fourth quarter of the year indicated.
4. Percent change.
5. Level, millions, values are annual averages.
6. Percent change, with inventory valuation and capital consumption adjustments.
7. Billions of dollars,values are annual averages.

20.6
9.0

1.7
16.7

Housing starts5
Light motor vehicle sales5

Corporate profits6
Profit share of GNP2

2.6
2.6
2.6
2.6
73.2
73.2

Industrial production4
Previous Greenbook4
Manufacturing industr. prod.4
Previous Greenbook4
Capacity utilization rate - mfg.2
Previous Greenbook2

3.6
2.9
2.9
1.8
1.8

-.7
5.8
5.8
-2.5
-2.5

Employment and production
Nonfarm payroll employment1
Unemployment rate2
Previous Greenbook2
GDP gap3
Previous Greenbook3

Income and saving
Nominal GDP4
Real disposable pers. income4
Previous Greenbook4
Personal saving rate2
Previous Greenbook2

2002

Item

2010

January 22, 2009

Other Macroeconomic Indicators
(Change from fourth quarter of previous year to fourth quarter of year indicated, unless otherwise noted)

Class II FOMC
Restricted (FR)

I-38

2606
3047
910
624
286
2136
-441
134

372

768
-296
-17

2524
2978
-455
-455
-638
183

-429
1.3
0.8
0.8

-225

-459

-221

-0.3
0.2
0.2

1.0
0.6

1.6

-694

-910

2433
3318
987
684
303
2331
-885
148

50

1608
322
-138

2263
4054
-1791
-1675
-1937
146

2009

Fiscal year
2008a

2624
2832
842
569
273
1990
-209
123

75

206
-23
-22

2568
2729
-162
-162
-343
181

2007a

1.0
0.7

-0.0

-713

-1026

2549
3552
1036
710
325
2517
-1004
152

50

1051
0
-18

2405
3438
-1033
-842
-1179
146

2010

0.1
0.1

0.6

-325

-344

2673
3003
898
614
284
2105
-331
129

46

200
11
-5

540
746
-206
-206
-237
31

Q1a

0.5
0.5

2.2

-643

-671

2479
3128
918
629
289
2210
-650
138

53

-48
-7
29

788
761
27
27
-64
91

Q2a

372

526
-318
-39

590
759
-169
-169
-171
2

Q3a

0.7
0.7

-1.0

-507

-572

2592
3140
954
660
295
2186
-548
144

2008

-0.2
-0.3

-0.3

-465

-598

2563
3134
970
675
295
2164
-571
148

367

561
5
-81

547
1033
-485
-503
-538
53

Q4

2009
Q3

220

353
30
4

683
1070
-387
-315
-472
85

50

207
170
-12

545
910
-365
-291
-363
-3

Q4

35

368
15
-5

524
903
-378
-260
-437
58

Not seasonally adjusted

Q2

0.2
0.0

1.8

-734

-928

0.4
0.4

0.4

-798

-1046

0.2
0.1

-0.2

-779

-1066

0.3
0.1

-0.0

-778

-1084

Seasonally adjusted annual rates
2402
2358
2409
2428
3307
3381
3451
3488
982
993
1003
1016
680
688
694
701
302
306
309
315
2324
2388
2448
2473
-904
-1022
-1042
-1060
146
148
149
151

250

487
116
-50

488
1041
-553
-567
-564
11

Q1

Staff Projections of Federal Sector Accounts and Related Items
(Billions of dollars except as noted)

0.3
0.3

-0.6

-694

-1010

2563
3550
1032
708
325
2518
-987
151

20

303
15
-5

545
859
-314
-312
-322
8

Q1

0.2
0.1

-0.1

-679

-995

2588
3562
1045
713
332
2517
-973
152

40

131
-20
-5

742
848
-106
-76
-191
85

Q2

50

249
-10
-5

594
828
-234
-195
-229
-5

Q3

0.1
0.1

0.1

-702

-1015

2616
3610
1050
719
331
2560
-994
154

2010

0.1
0.1

0.0

-712

-1017

2642
3638
1056
725
331
2583
-996
155

35

298
15
-5

586
894
-309
-278
-366
58

Q4

January 22, 2009

1. Budget receipts, outlays, and surplus/deficit include corresponding social security (OASDI) categories. The OASDI surplus and the Postal Service surplus are excluded from the on-budget
surplus and shown separately as off-budget, as classified under current law.
2. Other means of financing are checks issued less checks paid, accrued items, and changes in other financial assets and liabilities.
3. Gross saving is the current account surplus plus consumption of fixed capital of the general government as well as government enterprises.
4. HEB is gross saving less gross investment (NIPA) of the federal government in current dollars, with cyclically sensitive receipts and outlays adjusted to the staff’s measure of potential output and the
NAIRU. Quarterly figures for change in HEB and FI are not at annual rates. The sign on Change in HEB, as a percent of nominal potential GDP, is reversed. FI is the weighted difference of discretionary
changes in federal spending and taxes in chained (2000) dollars, scaled by real GDP. The annual FI estimates are on a calendar year basis. Also, for FI and the change in HEB, positive values indicate
aggregate demand stimulus.
a--Actual

Fiscal indicators4
High-employment (HEB)
surplus/deficit
Change in HEB, percent
of potential GDP
Fiscal impetus (FI),
percent of GDP
Previous

NIPA federal sector
Receipts
Expenditures
Consumption expenditures
Defense
Nondefense
Other spending
Current account surplus
Gross investment
Gross saving less gross
investment3

Cash operating balance,
end of period

Means of financing
Borrowing
Cash decrease
Other2

Unified budget
Receipts1
Outlays1
Surplus/deficit1
Previous
On-budget
Off-budget

Item

Class II FOMC
Restricted (FR)

I-39

6.8
.1
-1.1
1.4

8.6
5.7
5.0
4.7

5.3
3.1
7.7
6.4
4.6
6.4
3.4
5.3
3.9
4.6
4.6
5.2

2007
2008
2009
2010

Quarter
2008:1
2
3
4
2009:1
2
3
4
2010:1
2
3
4

2.6
-.1
-2.5
-2.9
-2.8
-1.5
-.8
-.3
-.1
.2
.7
1.6

6.8
-.7
-1.4
.6

14.2
13.6
13.2
11.2

Home
mortgages

Households

4.7
3.9
1.2
-3.4
-4.0
-1.8
-.2
.9
2.0
3.2
4.1
4.6

5.5
1.6
-1.3
3.5

5.2
5.5
4.3
4.5

Consumer
credit

7.1
5.5
4.1
2.8
2.2
2.7
2.9
2.9
3.2
3.2
3.0
3.1

13.1
5.0
2.7
3.2

2.5
6.2
8.7
10.5

Business

3.4
.9
3.0
1.0
4.9
5.3
5.0
5.0
4.7
4.7
4.4
4.4

9.3
2.1
5.2
4.6

8.3
7.4
10.2
8.1

State and local
governments

Change in Debt of the Domestic Nonfinancial Sectors
(Percent)

8.1
5.9
39.2
37.0
24.5
28.4
11.1
18.6
10.6
12.9
11.7
13.0

4.9
24.2
22.2
12.6

10.9
9.0
7.0
3.9

Federal
government

3.5
4.1
3.4
-3.3
-4.3
1.0
3.2
3.2
3.2
3.4
3.6
4.0

2.6.3 FOF

4.9
1.9
.7
3.6

5.9
6.5
6.3
5.3

Memo:
Nominal
GDP

January 22, 2009

Note. Quarterly data are at seasonally adjusted annual rates.
1. Data after 2008:Q3 are staff projections. Changes are measured from end of the preceding period to end of period indicated except for annual nominal
GDP growth, which is calculated from Q4 to Q4.

3.2
.6
-.7
-2.7
-2.7
-1.3
-.5
.1
.6
1.0
1.6
2.4

11.6
11.1
11.0
10.2

Total

8.1
8.9
9.5
9.0

Total

Year
2003
2004
2005
2006

Period 1

Class II FOMC
Restricted (FR)

I-40

220.9

1239.2
1239.2
833.2

46.1
157.9

180.4
-417.3
525.2

12.6
-75.9
40.1
129.8

228.4
12.8

1405.8
-417.3
1823.2

2008

238.3

1414.5
1414.5
1684.2

115.4
173.7

6.4
-185.0
300.8

-150.2
-142.9
-33.1
126.1

241.4
11.8

1495.5
-185.0
1680.5

2009

427.7

981.1
981.1
963.1

109.1
167.2

68.4
-140.0
362.3

187.6
61.4
89.8
122.7

245.1
11.2

1500.1
-140.0
1640.1

2010

537.3

2078.5
526.5
168.9

66.8
153.1

129.2
-447.7
446.9

-92.1
-260.3
30.5
130.3

226.9
17.3

2052.4
-447.7
2500.1

Q3

Q4

-621.9

2155.2
560.9
485.2

22.6
108.3

105.2
-450.0
309.9

-370.1
-307.1
-90.0
130.1

232.8
14.8

1667.6
-450.0
2117.6

2008

-78.3

1559.4
486.9
553.4

110.6
197.1

-2.5
-220.0
245.5

-372.3
-292.9
-104.4
127.7

238.7
10.9

1323.2
-220.0
1543.2

Q1

133.8

1916.1
353.0
387.3

119.6
171.0

12.6
-200.0
301.6

-181.1
-160.6
-45.5
125.8

241.3
15.2

1956.2
-200.0
2156.2

2.6.4 FOF

Q2

Q3

461.4

799.6
206.8
365.2

115.6
165.0

1.6
-160.0
331.6

-64.1
-85.0
-5.0
125.1

242.4
8.3

1022.7
-160.0
1182.7

2009

Flow of Funds Projections: Highlights
(Billions of dollars at seasonally adjusted annual rates except as noted)

Note. Data after 2008:Q3 are staff projections.
1. Average debt levels in the period (computed as the average of period-end debt positions) divided by nominal GDP.
2. Includes change in liabilities not shown in home mortgages and consumer credit.
3. Average debt levels in the period (computed as the average of period-end debt positions) divided by disposable personal income.
4. For corporations, excess of capital expenditures over U.S. internal funds.
5. NIPA state and local government saving plus consumption of fixed capital and net capital transfers.
n.s.a. Not seasonally adjusted.

851.7

237.1
237.1
187.9

Federal government
Net borrowing
Net borrowing (n.s.a.)
Unified deficit (n.s.a.)

Depository institutions
Funds supplied

185.9
246.6

State and local governments
Net borrowing
Current surplus 5

876.4
674.6
133.6
131.5

Households
Net borrowing 2
Home mortgages
Consumer credit
Debt/DPI (percent) 3
185.6
-831.2
1224.2

220.6
18.3

Borrowing indicators
Debt (percent of GDP) 1
Borrowing (percent of GDP)

Business
Financing gap 4
Net equity issuance
Credit market borrowing

1692.4
-831.2
2523.6

2007

Domestic nonfinancial sectors
Net funds raised
Total
Net equity issuance
Net debt issuance

Category

Class II FOMC
Restricted (FR)

436.3

1383.1
367.9
378.4

115.6
161.7

14.1
-160.0
324.5

16.6
-33.1
22.7
124.4

243.1
12.8

1679.9
-160.0
1839.9

Q4

382.5

825.0
303.3
313.8

111.6
167.3

107.1
-140.0
363.5

76.2
-9.4
50.6
123.4

243.9
9.5

1236.3
-140.0
1376.3

Q1

560.8

1027.8
130.9
106.4

111.6
163.9

70.1
-140.0
372.0

136.4
18.9
81.6
122.7

244.5
11.3

1507.9
-140.0
1647.9

Q2

Q3

457.6

967.8
248.8
234.3

106.6
168.1

42.3
-140.0
351.5

213.3
70.9
105.5
122.0

245.1
11.1

1499.2
-140.0
1639.2

2010

309.8

1103.8
298.0
308.5

106.6
169.5

54.3
-140.0
362.3

324.5
165.4
121.7
121.6

245.7
12.7

1757.2
-140.0
1897.2

Q4

January 22, 2009

I-41

I-42

(This page intentionally blank.)

Class II FOMC—Restricted (FR)

International Developments
With indicators of foreign activity continuing to come in weaker than expected, we now
estimate that foreign real gross domestic product (GDP) contracted 3¾ percent at an
annual rate in the fourth quarter. The near-term outlook also has deteriorated since the
December Greenbook, and we project that foreign GDP will decline a further 1¾ percent
at an annual rate in the first half of this year. Thereafter activity should begin to recover,
in line with projected improvement in credit market conditions, the rebound in U.S. GDP
growth, and further monetary and fiscal stimulus abroad. However, even with the
projected foreign recovery, we expect net exports to subtract from U.S. GDP growth for
most of the forecast period, as U.S. import growth responds to the projected recovery in
the U.S. economy.
The slowing pace of global activity has continued to put downward pressure on consumer
prices and prices for globally traded commodities. We now estimate that foreign
consumer prices declined about 1 percent at an annual rate in the fourth quarter. We
forecast that headline foreign consumer price inflation will turn positive again this year -to rates that are slightly lower than our previous forecast.
Summary of Staff Projections
(Percent change from end of previous period except as noted, annual rate)
2008

Projection

Indicator
H1

Q3

2008:
Q4

2009
2010
Q1

Q2

H2

Foreign output
Previous Greenbook

1.8
1.8

.7
.7

-3.7
-1.6

-2.7
-1.2

-.7
.1

1.5
1.5

2.8
2.8

Foreign consumer prices
Previous Greenbook

5.1
5.1

4.5
4.4

-1.1
-.1

-.8
.4

1.3
1.4

1.7
1.8

2.0
2.0

Contribution to growth (percentage points)
U.S. net exports
Previous Greenbook

1.8
1.8

1.1
1.1

-.1
.4

1.2
.9

-.1
.1

-.8
-.5

-.5
-.4

Note: Change for year measured as Q4/Q4; half-years are Q2/Q4 or Q4/Q2.

Our key conditioning assumptions for the dollar and for international commodity prices
have not changed appreciablly. The starting point for our projected path for the broad

I-43

I-44

Class II FOMC—Restricted (FR)

Part 1: Summary and Outlook, January 22, 2009

real dollar is a little higher than in the last Greenbook, and we continue to project a slight
decline. Amid considerable volatility, the spot price of West Texas intermediate (WTI)
crude oil has declined a bit further since the time of the December Greenbook. However,
we project oil prices to rise over the forecast period, consistent with futures market
quotes. Indexes of spot and futures prices for most nonfuel primary commodities are
little changed on net.
We estimate that core goods import prices declined at a 9 percent annual rate in the fourth
quarter and project that they will continue to decline sharply in the current quarter, before
leveling out in the second half of 2009 and then rising a bit in 2010.
We estimate that the contribution of net exports to real GDP growth in the fourth quarter
was roughly neutral (about ½ percentage point lower than projected in the December
Greenbook). Exports and imports both declined sharply in October and November. For
the first half of 2009, we expect net exports to contribute just above ½ percentage point to
GDP growth, as protracted weakness in U.S. economic activity continues to depress
import growth, more than offsetting the negative impact of a continued decline in
exports. Thereafter, we expect net exports to subtract about ½ percentage point from
GDP growth, little changed from the December Greenbook.
International Financial Markets
In the wake of a variety of government efforts over the past several months to foster
market liquidity and support banks, conditions in foreign funding markets have eased
somewhat. At auctions conducted by foreign central banks, demand for dollar funding
has receded somewhat from its December highs. Credit default swap premiums and nearterm Libor-OIS spreads in euro and sterling have narrowed.
Foreign equity prices increased through early January, but concerns over the stability of
the global banking system heightened in mid-January, contributing to substantial and
widespread net declines in share price indexes since the December Greenbook. Amid
bad news about financial institutions’ balance sheets and deteriorating prospects, bank
stock prices generally have fallen more than the broader indexes. Bank share price
declines have been particularly acute in the United Kingdom, where the Royal Bank of
Scotland Group warned that it would recognize significant impairment losses. Foreign
governments have announced several new efforts to ease credit and funding conditions,
including an Asset Protection Scheme announced January 19 by the United Kingdom, in

International Developments

Class II FOMC—Restricted (FR) I-45

which the government would assume exposure to losses on particular pools of bank
assets.
The dollar fell sharply against major foreign currencies after the Federal Open Market
Committee cut its target for the federal funds rate in December. However, the dollar
subsequently erased this move as a worsening economic outlook and declining
inflationary pressures prompted policy easing by a number of foreign central banks. The
European Central Bank, the Bank of England, and the Bank of Canada cut policy rates
earlier this month, as did the Bank of Japan in late December. The major currencies
index is now about ½ percent higher than at the time of the December forecast. The
dollar has also increased by about the same amount against the currencies of our other
important trading partners. Consistent with easing monetary policy and declining
inflation, long-term sovereign bond yields in major industrial economies have dropped
sharply.
Overall, the broad real index of the dollar is slightly higher than at the time of the
December forecast. The staff and the market have revised down their expectations of
foreign policy rates by about the same amount, and as a result, the projected path for slow
depreciation of the broad real dollar over the next two years is little changed.
Advanced Foreign Economies
We estimate that real GDP in the advanced foreign economies contracted at an annual
rate of about 2½ percent in the fourth quarter. Recent indicators continue to be uniformly
grim. The Japanese economy has been particularly hard-hit, with industrial production,
exports, and household earnings all registering large declines. Compared with the
December Greenbook, our estimate for fourth-quarter growth is about ½ percentage point
lower, reflecting downward revisions across the major foreign economies.
We project that activity will contract a further 3¼ percent at an annual rate in the current
quarter, as a result of widespread weakness in the advanced foreign economies. Output is
projected to continue to fall in the second quarter, before bottoming out later this year and
recovering gradually through 2010, reaching an annual growth rate of about 2¼ percent
by the end of the forecast period. This recovery is conditioned on improving financial
conditions, a return to positive growth in U.S. GDP, and monetary and fiscal stimulus.
Compared with the December Greenbook, our outlook for growth is about 1 percentage
point lower in the first quarter of 2009 and ½ percentage point lower in the second
quarter.

I-46

Class II FOMC—Restricted (FR)

Part 1: Summary and Outlook, January 22, 2009

Falling commodity prices and weak activity led to outright declines in headline consumer
prices in the advanced foreign economies in the fourth quarter. Consumer prices should
bottom out early this year and start moving back up slowly thereafter. Nevertheless,
four-quarter inflation should continue moving down until the third quarter of this year,
when it turns briefly negative. Inflation subsequently rises to 1¼ percent by the end of
2010. We project that consumer prices in Japan will decline throughout the forecast
period. The outlook for inflation in 2009 is down a bit from the December Greenbook,
mainly as a result of greater economic slack.
In light of the deteriorating economic conditions and decelerating consumer prices, our
projection incorporates more monetary policy accommodation in the advanced foreign
economies than in the December forecast. In particular, we assume that, by the second
quarter of 2009, policy rates will fall to 1 percent in the euro area, ¾ percent in the
United Kingdom, and ½ percent in Canada. We also anticipate further announcements of
additional fiscal measures, with fiscal stimulus expected to add almost ½ percentage
point to GDP growth in the advanced foreign economies in late 2009 and 2010. The
possibility of more sizable packages continues to be an upside risk to our outlook.
Emerging Market Economies
We estimate that real GDP fell at a 5 percent pace in the fourth quarter in the emerging
market economies, a much sharper decline than projected in the December Greenbook.
Both exports and imports across much of the developing world plummeted,
manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Indexes for December sank to very low levels, and
consumer confidence indicators were abysmal.
The weakness was particularly pronounced in emerging Asia, which was hit by the
recession in advanced countries and by continued financial stresses. Real GDP was flat
in China in the fourth quarter, plunged 20 percent in Korea, and fell a reported 16 percent
in Singapore. Output in Mexico and Brazil also appears to have fallen in the fourth
quarter, with Mexican activity hampered by weak U.S. demand and by troubles in the
auto industry. So far in January, indicators and anecdotal reports point to a steeper
contraction in the emerging economies in the current quarter than we had anticipated
previously. By the end of the year, growth is projected to recover to about a 3 percent
pace, and we forecast that it will increase to 4¾ percent by the end of 2010. This
recovery will be supported by the pickup in the United States, the easing of financial
stresses, and policy stimulus. Monetary policy has been eased recently across most of
emerging Asia and Latin America.

International Developments

Class II FOMC—Restricted (FR) I-47

Given the weaker-than-expected data and lower path for economic activity, we have also
revised down our outlook for consumer prices. We now expect four-quarter inflation in
the emerging market economies to drop to 3 percent this quarter and to 1 percent by the
third quarter, before picking up to about 2¾ percent by late 2010. The near-term
decrease in inflation is largely driven by emerging Asia, which has seen some outright
declines in consumer prices, generally reflecting weaker activity and lower prices for
food and other commodities. In Mexico and Brazil, inflation pressures have lessened but
are still present.
Commodity Prices
The spot price of West Texas intermediate (WTI) crude oil dipped to a five-year low of
$30 per barrel in mid-December before rebounding sharply to almost $50 by the first
week of January. The spot price of WTI has subsequently fallen back to close on January
21 at $42.25 per barrel, about $1.50 lower than at the time of the December Greenbook.
Futures prices declined more sharply, with the price of the December 2017 contract
closing nearly $12 lower than six weeks earlier. Given the path of futures prices, our
current projection has the price of WTI crude oil rising to about $60 per barrel at the end
of next year. Relative to the December Greenbook, this projection is $4.50 lower, on
average, this year and $5.50 lower in 2010.
The decline in oil prices since the time of the December Greenbook appears to reflect
continued weakening of global oil demand, which has more than offset upward pressure
from other developments, such as heightened geopolitical tensions in the Middle East,
disruptions to European natural gas shipments stemming from the pipeline dispute
between Russia and Ukraine, and numerous analyst reports of reduced oil shipments from
OPEC countries.
Nonfuel commodity prices declined at an annual rate of 71 percent in the fourth quarter of
2008, and we project a further decline of 23 percent in the current quarter. However, spot
prices have stabilized recently, and futures markets point to small increases in subsequent
quarters. Both the current level and projected path of nonfuel commodity prices are little
changed from the December Greenbook.

Prices of Internationally Traded Goods
With some data now in hand for November and December, we estimate that core import
prices fell at an annual rate of 9 percent in the fourth quarter, 2 percentage points more than
was projected in the previous Greenbook. The decline was primarily due to lower prices for
metals, chemicals, and, to a lesser extent, foods. In contrast, prices of imported finished

I-48

Class II FOMC—Restricted (FR)

Part 1: Summary and Outlook, January 22, 2009

goods were little changed. We project that core import prices will decline at a 9½ percent
pace in the current quarter, mainly reflecting the lagged effects of declines in commodity
prices and the appreciation of the dollar in late 2008. Core import prices are projected to fall
at a more modest pace in the second quarter before bottoming out and rising gradually in
2010.

Staff Projections of Selected Trade Prices
(Percent change from end of previous period, annual rate, excepted as noted)
2008

Projection

Trade category
H1
Imports
Core goods
Previous Greenbook

9.5
9.5

Oil (dollars per barrel)
108.65
Previous Greenbook 108.65
Exports
Core goods
Previous Greenbook

13.0
13.0

Q3

2008:
Q4

2009
Q1

Q2

2010
H2

4.6
4.6

-9.0
-7.0

-9.4
-8.5

-3.0
-2.4

-.1
.1

1.3
1.3

117.49
117.53

68.52
68.09

45.55
43.81

44.56
47.92

48.60
52.64

54.82
61.12

-2.9
-2.1

.5
.6

1.1
.9

6.6
6.7

-19.0
-13.5

-12.9
-8.6

Note: Prices for core exports exclude computers and semiconductors. Prices for core imports exclude
computers, semiconductors, oil, and natural gas. Both prices are on a National Income and Product
Account chain-weighted basis.
The price of imported oil for multi-quarter periods is the price for the final quarter of the period.
Imported oil includes both crude oil and refined products.

Core export prices registered their largest one-quarter decline in over 40 years, falling an
estimated 19 percent at an annual rate in the fourth quarter, on account of the sharp declines
in commodity prices. We project that core export prices will move down 13 percent in the
current quarter but only 3 percent in the second quarter of 2009, given slowing declines in
some commodity prices. Thereafter, core export price inflation is projected to average under
1 percent. Compared with the previous Greenbook, data for November and December have
led us to decrease our estimate for core export price inflation in the fourth quarter by about
5½ percentage points. We have also marked down our forecast of core export price inflation
in the current quarter by about 4¼ percentage points, with lower projected prices for
petroleum products, intermediate goods, and other commodities.

Class II FOMC—Restricted (FR) I-49

International Developments

Trade in Goods and Services
Based on weak incoming data for October and November, we now estimate that real
exports of goods and services plunged nearly 20 percent (annual rate) in the fourth
quarter, about 16 percentage points worse than projected in the December Greenbook.
For the first half of 2009, we expect exports to decline at an average pace of about
4 percent, reflecting the dismal pace of foreign activity. We currently expect real exports
to bottom out in the second half of 2009 and then expand at a 2½ percent pace in 2010, as
the recovery in foreign GDP growth more than offsets some drag from the recent
appreciation of the dollar. Relative to the previous Greenbook, our export growth
projection for the current quarter is about 3 percentage points weaker.
Staff Projections for
Trade in Goods and Services
(Percent change from end of previous period, annual rate)
2008

Projection

Measure
H1

Q3

2008:
Q4

2009

2010

Q1

Q2

H2

Real imports
Previous Greenbook

-4.1
-4.1

-3.5
-3.2

-15.4
-5.2

-11.7
-7.4

-1.9
-3.7

5.8
3.7

5.4
4.9

Real exports
Previous Greenbook

8.6
8.6

3.0
3.4

-19.9
-4.1

-5.1
-2.2

-2.7
-3.2

-.1
.1

2.4
2.6

Note: Changes for years are measured as Q4/Q4; half-years are measured as Q2/Q4 or Q4/Q2.

We estimate that real imports of goods and services decreased at an annual rate of
15½ percent in the fourth quarter. Our estimate is about 10 percentage points lower than
our projection in the December Greenbook, mostly as a result of surprisingly weak
imports in November. We expect imports to decrease at an average annual rate of about
7 percent in the first half of this year, mainly reflecting weak U.S. demand, before
shifting to positive growth thereafter alongside the projected recovery of the U.S.
economy. We revised down our projection for import growth in the first half of 2009
slightly, in part because of lower projected imports of automotive products, reflecting
cutbacks in motor vehicle production schedules. For the rest of the forecast period, our
projection is a little stronger, mostly reflecting the higher projected path for U.S. growth.
Alternative Simulations
Our baseline forecast for major U.S. trading partners already incorporates the effects of
fiscal stimulus measures that we believe are likely to be implemented over the forecast

I-50

Class II FOMC—Restricted (FR)

Part 1: Summary and Outlook, January 22, 2009

period. However, this assumed level of fiscal stimulus is considerably smaller as a share
of GDP than that projected for the United States. Given the possibility that foreign
countries may adopt larger fiscal stimulus packages than assumed in the baseline
forecast, our first alternative simulation uses the FRB/Global model to examine the
effects of more aggressive fiscal expansion abroad. Similarly, in addition to the
considerable monetary easing already embedded in our baseline forecast, we examine the
effects of even larger cuts in foreign policy rates in a second alternative scenario.
More expansionary fiscal policy abroad. In this scenario, the autonomous component
of government spending in all major foreign countries is boosted by three percent of
baseline GDP over a three-year period beginning in the first quarter of 2009. U.S. real
net exports rise because foreign demand increases relative to baseline and because the
dollar depreciates as our foreign trading partners raise interest rates. As a result, U.S. real
GDP growth rises nearly 0.2 percentage point above baseline in 2009 and 0.5 percentage
point in 2010. Core personal consumption expenditures (PCE) inflation rises noticeably
above baseline in 2009 in response to the depreciation of the dollar, and it remains
elevated thereafter due to the stronger path for U.S. activity. The stimulative effects of
the foreign demand shock on U.S. activity and prices are amplified relative to a situation
in which monetary policy is not constrained by the zero lower bound. Because U.S.
policy rates in the baseline are already higher than would be suggested by an
unconstrained Taylor rule, the expansion of output and pickup in inflation in the
alternative simulation do not prompt an increase in the policy rate until the second half of
2011. After some initial deterioration due to J-curve effects, the U.S. trade balance
improves by 0.8 percent of GDP by 2013.
More expansionary monetary policy abroad. In this scenario, we assume that most of
our major foreign trading partners, both in industrial and emerging market economies,
reduce policy rates to 100 basis points below baseline throughout 2009. However, the
declines in Japan, Canada, and the United Kingdom are smaller because of the
zero-bound constraint on nominal interest rates. Lower foreign policy rates boost foreign
activity substantially but also cause the dollar to appreciate. On balance, U.S. net exports
and thus GDP are virtually unaffected by the shock. However, it is possible that foreign
monetary policy could have considerably larger stimulative effects on the United States
through channels not captured by our simulation model, such as a substantial fall in
global risk spreads or improved business confidence.

Class II FOMC—Restricted (FR) I-51

International Developments

Alternative Scenarios:
More Expansionary Fiscal and Monetary Policies Abroad
(Percent change from previous period, annual rate, except as noted)
Indicator and simulation

2009

2010

2011

201213

H1

H2

H1

H2

U.S. real GDP
Baseline
Larger Fiscal Stimulus Abroad
Larger Monetary Stimulus Abroad

-3.5
-3.4
-3.5

2.0
2.2
2.0

2.3
2.7
2.3

2.9
3.5
2.9

4.9
5.7
4.9

5.1
5.3
5.0

U.S. PCE prices
excluding food and energy
Baseline
Larger Fiscal Stimulus Abroad
Larger Monetary Stimulus Abroad

1.2
1.2
1.2

0.9
1.1
0.9

0.8
1.1
0.9

0.8
1.1
0.9

0.7
1.0
0.6

0.7
1.1
0.7

U.S federal funds rate
(percent)
Baseline
Larger Fiscal Stimulus Abroad
Larger Monetary Stimulus Abroad

0.1
0.1
0.1

0.1
0.1
0.1

0.1
0.1
0.1

0.1
0.1
0.1

0.1
0.5
0.1

1.2
3.1
1.1

U.S. trade balance
(percent share of GDP)
Baseline
Larger Fiscal Stimulus Abroad
Larger Monetary Stimulus Abroad

-2.5
-2.6
-2.5

-2.7
-3.0
-2.7

-3.2
-3.4
-3.3

-3.4
-3.5
-3.4

-3.7
-3.4
-3.6

-4.2
-3.4
-4.5

Note: H1 is Q2/Q4; H2 is Q4/Q2. U.S. real Gross Domestic Product and U.S. Personal Consumption
Expenditures (PCE) prices are the average rates over the period. The federal funds rate and the trade
balance are the values for the final quarter of the period.

I-52

Class II FOMC -- Restricted (FR)

Evolution of the Staff Forecast

Current Account Balance
Percent of GDP

-2.0
-2.5
-3.0

2010

-3.5
2009

-4.0
-4.5
-5.0
2008

-5.5
-6.0
-6.5

1/24

3/14

5/2

6/20

8/2

9/12 10/24 12/5

1/23

2007

3/13 4/23

6/18 7/30 9/10 10/22 12/10 1/22

3/11 4/22

2008
Greenbook publication date

6/17

8/5

9/16 10/29 12/9

-7.0

2009

Foreign Real GDP
Percent change, Q4/Q4
2009

4.0
3.5

2010

3.0

2008

2.5
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5
0.0
-0.5

1/24

3/14

5/2

6/20

8/2

9/12 10/24 12/5

1/23

2007

3/13 4/23

6/18 7/30 9/10 10/22 12/10 1/22

3/11 4/22

2008
Greenbook publication date

6/17

8/5

9/16 10/29 12/9

-1.0

2009

Core Import Prices*
Percent change, Q4/Q4

8
7
6

2008

5
4
3
2010

2
1
0
-1
-2

2009

-3
1/24

3/14

5/2

6/20

2007

8/2

9/12 10/24 12/5

1/23

3/13 4/23

6/18 7/30 9/10 10/22 12/10 1/22

2008
Greenbook publication date
*Prices for merchandise imports excluding computers, semiconductors, oil, and natural gas.

3/11 4/22

6/17

2009

8/5

9/16 10/29 12/9

-4

January 22, 2009

4.0
7.8
3.3
11.3
-0.1
-0.8
6.9

Emerging Market Economies
Asia
Korea
China
Latin America
Mexico
Brazil

-2.4
-5.2
-2.9
-2.0
-2.1

-2.6

-3.7

-1.9
-0.8
-6.0
4.0
-3.5
-4.0
-3.0

-4.4
-3.7
-2.7
-2.0
-2.1

-3.3

-2.7

0.8
1.8
-4.0
6.5
-0.4
-1.0
2.0

-2.8
-1.5
-1.7
-1.0
-1.0

-1.9

-0.7

2.4
4.0
2.5
7.3
0.7
0.2
2.5

0.3
-0.3
-0.3
0.5
0.4

0.3

1.2

2.9
4.6
3.3
7.8
1.1
0.6
2.7

1.1
0.4
1.7
0.9
0.9

1.0

1.8

3.4
5.3
3.8
8.5
1.5
1.0
3.0

1.6
0.9
0.7
1.4
1.4

1.4

2.3

4.0
5.7
4.1
8.9
2.3
2.0
3.2

2.0
1.1
1.4
1.8
1.8

1.8

2.7

4.4
5.9
4.2
9.0
2.9
2.7
3.5

2.2
1.2
2.3
2.1
2.0

2.1

3.1

4.7
6.0
4.3
9.0
3.3
3.2
3.5

2.4
1.2
2.5
2.1
2.1

2.2

3.3

2.7
2.3
1.4
3.4
3.6
3.0

1.8
1.0
2.4
3.4
3.1

4.7

2.2

4.1

3.4
2.2
4.8
3.8
3.3

3.4

4.8

2.2
1.2
3.9
2.3
1.7

2.2

3.4

1.3
-0.1
2.6
1.1
0.9

1.0

2.0

-0.1
-0.9
1.4
1.0
0.8

0.2

0.9

-1.1
-1.9
0.1
0.7
0.4

-0.5

0.2

-0.1
-1.5
0.6
1.5
0.9

0.2

1.0

0.8
-0.6
2.4
2.2
1.3

1.1

1.7

1.3
-0.3
2.4
2.0
1.2

1.3

1.9

1.5
-0.3
2.5
1.9
1.2

1.3

1.9

1.5
-0.3
2.4
1.9
1.4

1.3

2.0

--------------------------- Four-quarter changes --------------------------

1.7 -5.0
0.3 -6.5
2.1 -20.8
5.4
0.3
3.1 -4.1
2.6 -5.0
7.4 -4.5

1.3
-1.8
-2.6
-0.7
-2.1

-0.1

0.7

1.
2.
3.
4.

Foreign GDP aggregates calculated using shares of U.S. exports.
Harmonized data for euro area from Eurostat.
Foreign CPI aggregates calculated using shares of U.S. non-oil imports.
CPI excluding mortgage interest payments, which is the targeted inflation rate.

Emerging Market Economies
5.9
6.7
6.2
4.6
2.9
1.7
1.0
1.7
2.3
2.4
2.6
2.7
Asia
6.5
7.1
6.1
3.6
1.2 -0.1 -0.6
0.8
1.7
2.0
2.2
2.4
Korea
3.8
4.8
5.5
4.5
4.0
2.4
1.6
1.7
1.7
1.7
1.7
1.7
China
8.0
7.8
5.2
2.5
-0.5 -1.3 -1.1
0.4
1.5
1.9
2.2
2.4
Latin America
4.5
5.5
6.1
6.6
6.4
5.4
4.5
3.7
3.4
3.3
3.3
3.3
Mexico
3.9
4.9
5.5
6.2
6.2
5.2
4.3
3.3
2.9
2.9
2.8
2.8
Brazil
4.6
5.5
6.3
6.2
5.6
4.9
4.2
4.2
4.2
4.2
4.2
4.2
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Advanced Foreign Economies
of which:
Canada
Japan
United Kingdom (4)
Euro Area (2)
Germany

CONSUMER PRICES (3)
------------------Total Foreign

0.6
-3.7
0.0
-0.7
-1.7

-0.6
2.4
1.5
2.7
5.7
3.4
3.9
3.4
10.8
2.6
0.8
6.4

-0.3

1.3

1.0

2.3

-------------------- Quarterly changes at an annual rate ------------------

Advanced Foreign Economies
of which:
Canada
Japan
United Kingdom
Euro Area (2)
Germany

REAL GDP (1)
-----------Total Foreign

-------------------- Projected -----------------------2008
2009
2010
------------------------------------------------------------------Measure and country
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

OUTLOOK FOR FOREIGN REAL GDP AND CONSUMER PRICES: SELECTED COUNTRIES
(Percent changes)
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Class II FOMC
Restricted (FR)

I-53

January 22, 2009

1.3
1.7
-0.3
1.3
2.0
1.1

2.1
3.8
-0.5
1.5
2.3
1.2

2.1

2.3
0.5
1.4
2.3
2.1

1.8

2.8

5.5
6.0
2.9
9.8
5.0
4.4
4.7

3.7
1.1
2.3
1.8
0.2

2.6

3.8

2.3
-1.0
2.1
2.3
2.2

1.6

2.3

5.8
7.6
5.6
10.2
4.0
3.4
3.6

3.0
2.9
2.0
2.1
1.6

2.7

4.0

1.3
0.3
2.7
1.8
1.3

1.4

2.1

5.7
7.0
4.2
10.6
4.4
3.7
4.6

2.2
2.1
3.2
3.3
4.1

2.7

4.0

2.4
0.5
2.1
2.9
3.1

2.2

3.6

6.4
7.8
5.9
11.4
4.8
4.2
6.1

2.8
2.0
3.0
2.1
1.7

2.6

4.2

2.2
1.2
3.9
2.3
1.7

2.2

3.4

0.9
1.3
-3.6
6.8
0.3
-0.6
3.9

-0.3
-2.1
-1.0
-0.2
-0.1

-0.5

0.1

-0.1
-1.5
0.6
1.5
0.9

0.2

1.0

1.0
2.4
-1.1
6.4
-0.6
-1.1
1.0

-1.5
-1.3
-0.8
-0.4
-0.5

-1.0

-0.1

1.5
-0.3
2.4
1.9
1.4

1.3

2.0

4.1
5.7
4.1
8.8
2.5
2.2
3.3

2.1
1.1
1.7
1.9
1.8

1.9

2.8

1.
2.
3.
4.

Foreign GDP aggregates calculated using shares of U.S. exports.
Harmonized data for euro area from Eurostat.
Foreign CPI aggregates calculated using shares of U.S. non-oil imports.
CPI excluding mortgage interest payments, which is the targeted inflation rate.

Emerging Market Economies
2.9
3.1
3.9
3.0
2.9
5.1
4.6
1.7
2.7
Asia
0.8
2.3
3.1
2.6
2.3
5.4
3.6
0.8
2.4
Korea
3.4
3.5
3.4
2.5
2.1
3.4
4.5
1.7
1.7
China
-0.6
2.7
3.2
1.4
2.1
6.6
2.5
0.4
2.4
Latin America
6.4
4.9
5.6
3.8
4.1
4.3
6.6
3.7
3.3
Mexico
5.2
3.9
5.3
3.1
4.1
3.8
6.2
3.3
2.8
Brazil
10.7
11.5
7.2
6.1
3.2
4.3
6.2
4.2
4.2
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Advanced Foreign Economies
of which:
Canada
Japan
United Kingdom (4)
Euro Area (2)
Germany

2.5

3.9
6.4
7.7
8.6
1.6
2.0
4.9

Emerging Market Economies
Asia
Korea
China
Latin America
Mexico
Brazil

CONSUMER PRICES (3)
------------------Total Foreign

1.5
2.4
3.2
1.2
0.2

3.5
2.1
2.4
1.1
0.0
4.5
6.9
4.1
10.3
1.8
1.3
1.0

1.8

2.9

2.5

3.0

Advanced Foreign Economies
of which:
Canada
Japan
United Kingdom
Euro Area (2)
Germany

REAL GDP (1)
-----------Total Foreign

Measure and country
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

-----Projected----

OUTLOOK FOR FOREIGN REAL GDP AND CONSUMER PRICES: SELECTED COUNTRIES
(Percent, Q4 to Q4)
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Class II FOMC
Restricted (FR)

I-54

January 22, 2009

3.8
10.2
-1.1
10.1
0.6
9.7
8.8
3.8
19.5
13.2
11.0
10.0

Exports of G&S
Services
Computers
Semiconductors
Core Goods 1/

Imports of G&S
Services
Oil
Natural Gas
Computers
Semiconductors
Core Goods 2/

-0.9
0.7
-1.7

-0.1
0.7
-0.8

11.5
9.3
10.8
4.9
23.2
9.8
11.4

7.4
8.3
5.8
-6.0
8.0
4.8
-0.1
1.0
13.7
12.5
7.5
5.9

7.0
4.0
14.2
17.6
7.4
3.8
8.0
-9.2
-12.6
13.8
-0.3
5.7

10.1
11.5
8.1
2.9
10.0

0.4
1.1
-0.6

Billions of Chained 2000 Dollars

4.8
2.2
1.2
1.3
17.0
-0.1
5.2

5.8
3.0
11.3
38.3
4.9

Percentage change, Q4/Q4

-0.1
0.6
-0.7

1.1
1.8
0.6
12.1
8.4
3.8
0.1

8.9
9.3
0.9
29.3
8.2

0.8
1.0
-0.2

-6.9
0.6
-4.0
-26.3
-8.1
-6.7
-8.9

-0.7
1.7
-2.5
-6.1
-1.6

1.1
-0.1
1.2

-0.8
1.7
-6.7
11.1
-1.7
-2.4
-0.7

-2.1
-4.4
-2.4
-1.7
-0.8

-0.1
-0.3
0.1

5.4
3.3
1.8
5.2
15.5
5.0
6.1

2.4
2.6
9.5
11.0
1.8

-0.5
0.3
-0.8

33.0
102.4
-69.4

-423.7

-461.3
-4.4

51.0
112.7
-61.7

-496.9

-523.4
-4.8

73.4
150.9
-77.5

-607.7

-625.0
-5.3

78.8
173.2
-94.4

-711.6

-729.0
-5.9

63.8
184.1
-120.3

-753.3

-788.1
-6.0

88.8
233.9
-145.1

-700.3

-731.2
-5.3

113.4
251.9
-138.5

-658.9

-673.3
-4.7

59.0
173.6
-114.6

-372.6

-439.1
-3.1

107.7
190.8
-83.0

-482.8

-498.7
-3.4

1. Merchandise exports excluding computers and semiconductors.
2. Merchandise imports excluding oil, natural gas, computers, and semiconductors.

Other Income & Transfers,Net
-70.5
-77.5
-90.6
-96.2
-98.6
-119.7
-127.7
-125.5
-123.6
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Investment Income, Net
Direct, Net
Portfolio, Net

Net Goods & Services (BOP)

US CURRENT ACCOUNT BALANCE
Current Acct as Percent of GDP

Billions of dollars

Net Goods & Services
-471.3
-518.9
-593.8
-616.6
-615.7
-546.5
-388.8
-340.5
-415.9
Exports of G&S
1013.3
1026.1
1126.1
1205.3
1314.8
1425.9
1518.4
1444.2
1460.7
Imports of G&S
1484.6
1545.0
1719.9
1821.9
1930.5
1972.4
1907.2
1784.8
1876.6
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-0.9
0.4
-1.3

Percentage point contribution to GDP growth, Q4/Q4

Net Goods & Services
Exports of G&S
Imports of G&S

NIPA REAL EXPORTS and IMPORTS

------ Projected -----2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

OUTLOOK FOR U.S. INTERNATIONAL TRANSACTIONS
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Class II FOMC
Restricted (FR)

I-55

January 22, 2009

0.3
0.8
-0.5

3.2
-5.7
5.1
58.6
3.2
-9.2
4.8

Exports of G&S
Services
Computers
Semiconductors
Core Goods 1/

Imports of G&S
Services
Oil
Natural Gas
Computers
Semiconductors
Core Goods 2/

-0.1
0.0
-0.1

-1.3
1.1
-2.4

0.1
1.7
-1.6

0.6
0.6
0.0

-0.1
0.4
-0.5

0.8
-1.0
-11.6
111.1
20.4
14.0
0.3

0.4
3.2
8.3
30.7
-2.9
15.3
6.8
53.6
-41.9
15.4
20.0
12.7

10.9
5.7
5.2
38.0
12.4
10.3
17.7
-2.8
-50.7
20.7
0.2
13.7

16.7
13.4
12.0
20.3
18.3
0.1
-2.0
-27.1
91.9
21.1
-0.5
4.9

5.5
2.7
17.5
16.1
5.6
3.1
-0.3
7.5
26.6
19.7
17.7
1.2

3.5
3.2
-7.9
-5.6
4.8

Billions of Chained 2000 Dollars, s.a.a.r.

0.6
-0.0
-27.1
-14.1
11.6
7.7
6.1

8.8
-2.8
27.9
11.7
13.8

1.3
1.7
-0.3

2.0
18.4
-10.6
-51.2
-4.3
-15.8
3.2

15.6
28.6
12.7
-15.0
11.8

Percentage change from previous period, s.a.a.r.

0.8
0.9
-0.1

Percentage point contribution to GDP growth

7.7
4.2
30.9
70.8
34.9
1.2
2.2

0.6
-2.7
3.9
15.9
1.3

-1.2
0.1
-1.2

-3.7
-2.0
-22.3
74.2
-6.5
6.7
-1.1

8.8
13.3
-4.0
23.7
6.6

1.7
1.0
0.7

3.0
6.3
-13.5
28.2
-0.2
1.0
5.8

23.0
25.9
14.4
20.5
22.1

2.0
2.5
-0.5

-2.3
-0.9
16.5
-58.6
9.7
6.4
-6.0

4.4
2.7
-9.2
61.7
3.7

0.9
0.5
0.4

77.8
168.5
-90.7

88.7
187.8
-99.0

-721.4

-675.6
-5.4

59.9
166.3
-106.5

-778.0

-832.9
-6.6

65.2
177.2
-112.0

-756.4

-783.8
-6.0

70.7
189.2
-118.5

-767.4

-799.6
-6.1

51.7
171.9
-120.3

-789.9

-843.6
-6.4

67.7
198.2
-130.5

-699.5

-725.4
-5.4

57.8
201.1
-143.2

-718.2

-787.7
-5.8

45.8
196.2
-150.4

-715.3

-776.4
-5.7

98.9
238.8
-139.9

-672.5

-691.8
-5.0

152.6
299.3
-146.7

-695.1

-669.0
-4.8

1. Merchandise exports excluding computers and semiconductors.
2. Merchandise imports excluding oil, natural gas, computers, and semiconductors.

Other Inc. & Transfers, Net-120.9 -106.2
-42.9 -114.8
-92.6 -103.0 -105.4
-93.6 -127.4 -106.9 -118.3 -126.4
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

88.6
170.2
-81.6

-682.9

Net Goods & Services (BOP) -664.0

Investment Income, Net
Direct, Net
Portfolio, Net

-711.3
-5.8

-696.2
-5.7

US CURRENT ACCOUNT BALANCE
Current Account as % of GDP

Billions of dollars, s.a.a.r.

Net Goods & Services
-623.7 -601.3 -603.6 -637.8 -636.0 -619.4 -623.0 -584.2 -618.6 -571.2 -511.8 -484.5
Exports of G&S
1177.9 1203.1 1204.3 1235.7 1284.3 1301.4 1312.6 1361.1 1363.2 1392.2 1466.2 1482.1
Imports of G&S
1801.7 1804.4 1807.9 1873.6 1920.2 1920.9 1935.7 1945.3 1981.8 1963.4 1978.0 1966.5
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8.1
10.2
16.8
-5.2
7.3

Net Goods & Services
Exports of G&S
Imports of G&S

NIPA REAL EXPORTS and IMPORTS

2005
2006
2007
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

OUTLOOK FOR U.S. INTERNATIONAL TRANSACTIONS
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Class II FOMC
Restricted (FR)

I-56

January 22, 2009

0.8
0.6
0.1

-0.8
5.5
17.6
-40.5
6.3
-3.3
-6.4

Exports of G&S
Services
Computers
Semiconductors
Core Goods 1/

Imports of G&S
Services
Oil
Natural Gas
Computers
Semiconductors
Core Goods 2/

1.1
0.4
0.7

-0.1
-2.9
2.8

1.2
-0.6
1.9

-0.1
-0.3
0.3

-0.6
-0.1
-0.5

-3.5
3.3
-6.6
-38.0
-13.1
-4.5
-2.5

3.0
1.4
5.4
21.3
2.9
-15.4
2.3
24.8
-22.9
-38.7
-28.4
-26.3

-19.9
-4.3
-45.7
-34.4
-25.0
-11.7
-3.7
-11.0
9.6
-9.6
-7.8
-14.5

-5.1
-8.0
-9.6
-7.8
-3.3
-1.9
2.6
-27.0
34.9
-3.9
-3.9
0.9

-2.7
-5.7
-3.9
-3.9
-1.1
3.3
4.9
-11.7
54.2
0.0
0.0
4.9

-1.0
-2.9
0.0
0.0
-0.0

Billions of Chained 2000 Dollars, s.a.a.r.

-7.3
-8.0
-38.1
3.7
26.0
14.4
2.4

12.3
3.8
57.4
-6.8
16.1

0.7
-1.0
4.7
5.4
1.3

-1.1
0.1
-1.2

8.2
3.4
32.2
-33.1
7.5
2.5
7.4

Percentage change from previous period, s.a.a.r.

2.9
1.5
1.4

Percentage point contribution to GDP growth

8.3
6.7
17.1
29.1
15.5
5.0
6.8

1.4
0.3
9.5
11.0
1.4

-1.0
0.2
-1.2

1.5
-1.0
-24.5
20.2
15.5
5.0
6.1

2.1
2.0
9.5
11.0
1.5

0.0
0.2
-0.2

4.0
3.6
-11.6
24.8
15.5
5.0
5.8

2.8
3.6
9.5
11.0
1.9

-0.3
0.3
-0.6

7.9
3.9
37.2
-36.7
15.5
5.0
5.6

3.4
4.7
9.5
11.0
2.3

-0.8
0.4
-1.2

-720.3
119.8
259.5
-139.7

Net Goods & Services (BOP) -708.4

Investment Income, Net
Direct, Net
Portfolio, Net

130.5
261.2
-130.7

-706.1

-696.4
-4.8

63.2
205.7
-142.5

-500.8

-570.5
-4.0

33.8
175.5
-141.6

-356.2

-456.0
-3.2

47.2
170.7
-123.5

-346.6

-422.3
-3.0

68.2
172.0
-103.9

-371.3

-425.9
-3.0

86.9
176.4
-89.6

-416.3

-452.3
-3.1

93.5
181.7
-88.2

-463.4

-492.8
-3.4

105.4
188.3
-82.9

-467.8

-485.3
-3.3

113.6
194.0
-80.4

-483.0

-492.3
-3.3

118.5
199.1
-80.6

-517.2

-524.5
-3.5

1. Merchandise exports excluding computers and semiconductors.
2. Merchandise imports excluding oil, natural gas, computers, and semiconductors.

Other Inc. & Transfers, Net-134.2 -123.2 -120.8 -132.8 -133.6 -122.8 -122.8 -122.8 -122.8 -122.8 -122.8 -125.8
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

140.0
281.0
-141.0

-723.8
-5.1

-702.6
-5.0

US CURRENT ACCOUNT BALANCE
Current Account as % of GDP

Billions of dollars, s.a.a.r.

Net Goods & Services
-462.0 -381.3 -353.0 -358.9 -322.0 -323.6 -341.7 -374.8 -406.3 -405.7 -413.9 -437.7
Exports of G&S
1500.6 1544.7 1556.1 1472.0 1452.9 1442.8 1439.3 1441.8 1447.0 1454.4 1464.6 1476.9
Imports of G&S
1962.6 1926.0 1909.1 1830.9 1774.9 1766.5 1781.0 1816.7 1853.3 1860.1 1878.5 1914.6
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5.1
6.4
0.4
4.6
4.7

Net Goods & Services
Exports of G&S
Imports of G&S

NIPA REAL EXPORTS and IMPORTS

------------------------- Projected ---------------------------2008
2009
2010
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

OUTLOOK FOR U.S. INTERNATIONAL TRANSACTIONS
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Class II FOMC
Restricted (FR)

I-57

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