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December 1999

MonetaryTrends

The Market’s View of
FOMC Announcements
Since 1994, the Federal Open Market Committee has
announced changes in its target for the federal funds rate
immediately upon making them. After every meeting
since May 18, 1999, the FOMC has also announced any
bias, or asymmetry, in its expectations for the direction
of future policy moves. The precise meaning of an
asymmetric directive and the horizon over which it
applies have, however, been subject to differing interpretations. Some observers have interpreted an asymmetric
directive as indicating a likely policy move in the direction of the bias at the next scheduled FOMC meeting,
while others have interpreted asymmetry as signaling a
possible move, perhaps at the chairman’s discretion,
before the next scheduled meeting. To help clarify its
decisions, the FOMC has recently established a subcommittee to review both the wording of its policy directive
and the Committee’s announcement following its meetings.
An indication of the market’s response to FOMC
announcements can be gleaned from trading in the federal funds futures market. For each of the first six
meetings of 1999, the chart plots implied expected
yields on federal funds during the month following the
next scheduled FOMC meeting date, as reflected in
trading on each FOMC meeting date and five days
before and five days after those dates. Thus, for the
Feb. 3 meeting, the plotted yields are derived from
trading in April futures contracts on Feb. 3—as well as
the five days on each side of that date. Also plotted is
the FOMC’s current funds rate target on each date.
Vertical lines on June 30 and Aug. 24 indicate the 25
basis point target increases by the FOMC on those
dates. The chart thus provides an indication of
whether FOMC announcements affected market
expectations for policy changes at the next scheduled
FOMC meeting (though not about market expectations
of policy changes before the next FOMC meeting).

The FOMC press releases issued after the May 18 and
Oct. 5 meetings indicated that the Committee had adopted directives that were tilted toward the possibility of a
future firming of policy. Press releases issued following
the meetings of June 30 and Aug. 24, in contrast, indicated that the FOMC had adopted directives that contained no bias regarding the direction of future actions.
The chart illustrates that since March, market participants have expected the federal funds rate to rise above
the FOMC’s current target. The chart also reveals that
expectations for future changes in the funds rate did not
change markedly on most FOMC meeting dates, even
on May 18 and Oct. 5 when the FOMC announced that
it had adopted directives that were biased toward future
tightening. On June 30, however, the implied expected
federal funds rate yield for September fell from 5.20 percent to 5.13 percent, suggesting that despite raising its funds
rate target from 4.75 percent to 5 percent, the FOMC’s
adoption of a symmetric directive regarding the outlook
for near-term policy action caused market participants to
downgrade their expectations for future tightening.
—David C. Wheelock

Views expressed do not necessarily reflect official positions of the Federal Reserve System.

TableofContents
Page
3

Monetary and Financial Indicators at a Glance

4-5

Monetary Aggregates and Their Components

6

Monetary Aggregates: Monthly Growth

7

Reserves Markets and Short-Term Credit Flows

8

Measures of Expected Inflation

9

Interest Rates

10

Policy-Based Inflation Indicators

11

Implied Forward Rates, Futures Contracts, and Inflation-Protected Securities

12-13

Velocity, Gross Domestic Product, and M2

14

Bank Credit

15

Stock Market Index, and Foreign Inflation and Interest Rates

16-18

Reference Tables

18-20

Definitions, Notes, and Sources

Conventions used in this publication:
1. Unless otherwise indicated, data are monthly.
2. Shaded areas indicate recessions, as dated by the National Bureau of Economic Research.
3. The percent change at an annual rate is the simple, not compounded, monthly percent change multiplied by 12. For
example, using consecutive months, the percent change at an annual rate in x between month t-1 and the current month
t is: [(x t / x t-1) - 1] x 1200. Note that this differs from National Economic Trends. In that publication monthly percent
changes are compounded and expressed as annual growth rates.
4. The percent change from year ago refers to the percent change from the same period in the previous year. For example,
the percent change from year ago in x between month t-12 and the current month t is: [(x t / x t-12) - 1] x 100.

We welcome your comments addressed to:
Editor, Monetary Trends
Research Division
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
P.O. Box 442
St. Louis, MO 63166
or to:
webmaster@stls.frb.org

Monetary Trends is published monthly by the Research Division of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Single-copy subscriptions are available free of charge by writing
Public Affairs Office, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Post Office Box 442, St. Louis, MO 63166-0442 or by calling (314) 444-8808 or (314) 444-8809. Subscription
forms can also be filled out electronically at http://www.stls.frb.org/research/order/pubform.html. For more information on data, please call (314) 444-8590. Information
in this publication is also included in the Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED) electronic bulletin board at (314) 621-1824 or internet World Wide Web server at
http://www.stls.frb.org/fred. The entire publication is also available electronically at http://www.stls.frb.org/publications/mt.

MonetaryTrends

11/16/99

M2 and MZM

Reserve Market Rates

Billions of $
4700

Percent
6.2
5%

Effective Federal Funds Rate
Expected Federal Funds Rate

1%

4400

5.8
5%

4100

1%

M2

5.4

3800
Discount Rate
5.0
3500
4.6

3200
MZM
2900

4.2
1996

1997

1998

1999

1996

1997

1998

1999

Dotted lines indicate the FOMC target ranges.

Adjusted Monetary Base

Treasury Yield Curve

Percent change at an annual rate
20

Percent
6.8 Week ending:
11/13/98
10/15/99
6.4 11/12/99

15

6.0
10
5.6
5
5.2
0

4.8

-5

4.4
1996

1997

1998

1999

3m1y 2y 3y

5y

7y

10y

20y

30y

Total Bank Credit

Interest Rates

Percent change at an annual rate
30

Aug 99

Sep 99

Oct 99

Federal Funds Rate

5.07

5.22

5.20

Discount Rate

4.56

4.75

4.75

Prime Rate

8.06

8.25

8.25

Conventional Mortgage Rate

7.94

7.82

20

.
Treasury
Yields
Treasury
Yields:

10

0

-10
1996

1997

1998

.

.

7.85
.

.

.

3-month constant maturity

4.87

4.82

5.02

6-month constant maturity

5.09

5.08

5.20

1-year constant maturity

5.20

5.25

5.43

3-year constant maturity

5.77

5.75

5.94

5-year constant maturity

5.84

5.80

6.03

10-year constant maturity

5.94

5.92

6.11

30-year constant maturity

6.07

6.07

6.26

1999

Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

MonetaryTrends

11/16/99

MZM and M1
Percent change from year ago
20
15
MZM
10
5
0
M1

-5
-10
82

83

84

85

86

87

88

89

90

91

92

93

94

95

96

97

98

99

85

86

87

88

89

90

91

92

93

94

95

96

97

98

99

87

88

89

90

91

92

93

94

95

96

97

98

99

87

88

89

90

91

92

93

94

95

96

97

98

99

M2
Percent change from year ago
15
12
9
6
3
0
82

83

84

Dotted lines indicate the FOMC target ranges.

M3
Percent change from year ago
15
12
9
6
3
0
-3
82

83

84

85

86

Dotted lines indicate the FOMC target ranges.

Monetary Services Index - M2
Percent change from year ago
9
6
3
0
-3
82

83

84

85

86

Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

MonetaryTrends

11/16/99

Adjusted Monetary Base
Percent change from year ago
15
12
9
6
3
0
82

83

84

85

86

87

88

89

90

91

92

93

94

95

96

97

98

99

Domestic Nonfinancial Debt

Currency Held by the Nonbank Public

Percent change from year ago

Percent change from year ago

15

12

12

Federal

9

9
6

6

3

Total

3

0
-3

0
1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

1996

1997

1998

Time Deposits

Checkable and Savings Deposits

Percent change from year ago

Percent change from year ago

24

20
15

18

10

Large Denomination

12

Savings

5
0

6

-5
0

1999

Small Denomination

Checkable

-10

-6

-15
1996

1997

1998

1999

Money Market Mutual Fund Shares

1996

1997

1998

1999

Repurchase Agreements and Eurodollars

Percent change from year ago

Billions of dollars

40

Billions of dollars

320

230
Repos (left)

35

Institutional funds

280

190

30
25

240

150
Eurodollars (right)

20
200
15

110

Retail funds

10

160
1996

1997

1998

1999

70
1996

Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

1997

1998

1999

MonetaryTrends

11/16/99

M1
Percent change at an annual rate
40
30
20
10
0
-10
-20
82

83

84

85

86

87

88

89

90

91

92

93

94

95

96

97

98

99

85

86

87

88

89

90

91

92

93

94

95

96

97

98

99

85

86

87

88

89

90

91

92

93

94

95

96

97

98

99

85

86

87

88

89

90

91

92

93

94

95

96

97

98

99

MZM
Percent change at an annual rate
30
20
10
0
-10
-20
82

83

84

M2
Percent change at an annual rate
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
-5
82

83

84

M3
Percent change at an annual rate
20
15
10
5
0
-5
82

83

84

Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

MonetaryTrends

11/16/99

Adjusted and Required Reserves
Billions of $
90
Adjusted
60

30

Required

0
82

83

84

85

86

87

88

89

90

91

92

93

94

95

96

97

98

99

Total Borrowings, nsa

Excess Reserves plus RCB Contracts

Billions of $

Billions of $

0.8

10

0.6

8

0.4

6

0.2

4

0.0

2
1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

Nonfinancial Commercial Paper
Percent change from year ago
90
60
30
0
-30
82

83

84

85

86

87

88

89

90

91

92

93

94

95

96

97

98

99

85

86

87

88

89

90

91

92

93

94

95

96

97

98

99

Consumer Credit
Percent change from year ago
20
15
10
5
0
-5
82

83

84

Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

1999

MonetaryTrends

11/16/99

Inflation and Inflation Expectations
Percent
12

9

Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia
CPI inflation
6

Humphrey-Hawkins inflation range

3

University of
Michigan

0

82

83

84

85

86

87

88

89

90

91

92

93

94

95

96

97

98

99

The shaded region shows the Humphrey-Hawkins CPI inflation range. See page 19 for information.

Treasury Security Yield Spreads
Yield to maturity

5

30 year - 3 month

4
3
2
1

3 year - 3 month

0
-1

30 year - 3 year
82

83

84

85

86

87

88

89

90

91

92

93

94

95

96

97

98

99

97

98

99

Real Interest Rates
Percent, Real rate = Nominal rate less CPI inflation
10
8
6

1-year Treasury Yield

4
2
Federal Funds Rate

0
-2
82

83

84

85

86

87

88

89

90

91

92

93

94

Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

95

96

00

MonetaryTrends

11/16/99

Short Term Interest Rates
Percent

18
14

90-day Commercial Paper

10
Prime Rate

6
3-month Treasury Yield

2

82

83

84

85

86

87

88

89

90

91

92

93

94

95

96

97

98

99

90

91

92

93

94

95

96

97

98

99

Long Term Interest Rates
Percent

18
15
Conventional mortgage

12
9

Corporate Aaa
30-year Treasury Yield

6
3

82

83

84

85

86

87

88

89

Long Term Interest Rates

Short Term Interest Rates

Percent

Percent

9

6.0
90-day Commercial Paper

Corporate Baa

5.5

30-year Treasury Yield

5.0

7

3-month Treasury Yield

4.5

5

10-year Treasury Yield

3

4.0
3.5

1996

1997

1998

1999

1996

1997

1998

1999

FOMC Expected Federal Funds Rate and Discount Rate
Percent

16
12

Federal Funds Rate

8
Discount Rate

4
0

82

83

84

85

86

87

88

89

90

91

92

93

94

Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

95

96

97

98

99

MonetaryTrends

11/16/99

Federal Funds Rate and Inflation Targets
Percent
12

4% 3% 2% 1% 0%

Target Inflation Rates

This chart reflects data through the second quarter of 1999
and has not been revised to reflect the recent comprehensive
revision of GDP by the BEA.

9
6
3
Actual
0
1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

Calculated federal funds rate is based on Taylor’s rule. See notes on page 19.

Actual and Potential Real GDP

Actual CPI Inflation

Billions of chain-weighted 1992 dollars

Percent change from year ago
7

8000

6

7500

5
7000

4

Potential

3

6500

2
6000

Actual

1

5500

0
1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1990

1999

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

1998

1999

Monetary Base Growth* and Inflation Targets
Percent
12
Actual (2-year
moving average)

10
8
6
4
2

0% 1% 2% 3% 4%

Target Inflation Rates

0
1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

*Modified for the effects of sweeps programs on reserve demand.
Calculated base growth is based on McCallum’s rule. See notes on page 19.

Monetary Base Velocity Growth

Real Output Growth

Percent

Percent

4

6
Actual

0

10-year
moving
average

3

-4

0

4-year
moving average

Actual

-8

-3
1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

1990

1991

1992

Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

MonetaryTrends

11/16/99

Implied One-Year Forward Rates

Rates on 3-Month Eurodollar Futures

Percent
9
8
7

Percent, daily data
6.3

Week ending:
11/13/98
10/15/99
11/12/99

6.2

6

6.0

5

5.9

4

5.8

3

5.7

2 2y 3y

5y

7y

Nov 1999

6.1

10y

20y

30y

Dec 1999
Jan 2000

5.6
09/13

Rates on Selected Fed Funds Futures Contracts

09/20

09/27

10/04

10/11

10/18

10/25

11/01

11/08

11/15

Implied Yields on Fed Funds Futures

Percent, daily data

Percent

5.5

5.7
Jan 2000
5.6

10/15/1999

5.4
Dec 1999

11/15/1999

5.5

5.3
5.4

Nov 1999
5.2

09/20/1999

5.3
09/13

09/20

09/27

10/04

10/11

10/18

10/25

11/01

11/08

Inflation-Protected Treasury Yields

11/15

Nov

Dec

Mar

Apr

Percent, weekly data

4.25

3.5
10-year

3.0

4.00

5-year

2.5

3.75

3.25

Feb

Inflation-Protected Treasury Yield Spreads

Percent, weekly data

3.50

Jan

30-year

2.0
1.5

30-year
10-year

5-year

1.0
0.5

1997

1998

1999

1997

Inflation-Indexed 30-Year Bonds

1998

1999

Inflation-Indexed 10-Year Bonds

Percent, weekly data

Percent, weekly data

6

4.5

5

US

4.0

Canada

3.5

4
UK

3

3.0

US

2.5

2

UK

2.0

1

1.5
1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

1995

Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

1996

1997

1998

1999

MonetaryTrends

11/16/99

MZM Velocity and Opportunity Cost
Velocity = Nominal GDP / MZM

Opportunity Cost = 3 month T-bill rate less MZM own rate
10.0

3.1
2.8

7.5
Velocity

2.5

5.0

2.2

2.5

Opportunity Cost

1.9

0.0
82

83

84

85

86

87

88

89

90

91

92

93

94

95

96

97

98

99

M2 Velocity and Opportunity Cost
Velocity = Nominal GDP / M2

Opportunity Cost = Treasury rate less M2 own rate

2.2

10.50

2.1

8.75

Velocity

2.0

7.00

1.9

5.25

Opportunity Cost (5-yr T-bond)

1.8

3.50

1.7

1.75

Opportunity Cost (3-mo T-bill)

1.6

0.00
82

83

84

85

86

87

88

89

90

91

92

93

94

95

96

97

98

99

M2, MZM and Nominal GDP
Billions of $
10000

Nominal GDP

8000
6000

M2

4000
MZM

2000
0
82

83

84

85

86

87

88

89

90

91

92

93

94

95

96

97

98

99

96

97

98

99

Interest Rates
Percent
15
12
9

5-yr bond

M2 own
6

3-mo bill

MZM own

3
0
82

83

84

85

86

87

88

89

90

91

92

93

94

Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

95

MonetaryTrends

11/16/99

Real Gross Domestic Product
Percent change from year ago
9
6
3
0
-3
82

83

84

85

86

87

88

89

90

91

92

93

94

95

96

97

98

99

86

87

88

89

90

91

92

93

94

95

96

97

98

99

Gross Domestic Product
Percent change from year ago
18
15
12
9
6
3
0
82

83

84

85

Gross Domestic Product Price Index
Percent change from year ago
12
9
6
3
0
82

83

84

85

86

87

88

89

90

91

92

93

94

95

96

97

98

99

85

86

87

88

89

90

91

92

93

94

95

96

97

98

99

M2
Percent change from year ago
18
15
12
9
6
3
0
82

83

84

Dashed lines indicate 10-year moving averages

Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

MonetaryTrends

11/16/99

Bank Credit
Percent change from year ago
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

1996

1997

1998

1999

1996

1997

1998

1999

1996

1997

1998

1999

Investment Securities in Bank Credit at Commercial Banks
Percent change from year ago
20
15
10
5
0
-5
1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

Total Loans and Leases in Bank Credit at Commercial Banks
Percent change from year ago
15
10
5
0
-5
1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

Commercial and Industrial Loans at Commercial Banks
Percent change from year ago
20
15
10
5
0
-5
1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

MonetaryTrends

11/16/99

Standard and Poor’s 500
1400

42

1200

36

1000

30

Price/earnings ratio
(right)

800

24

600

18

400

12

Composite Index
(left)

200

6

0

0
82

83

84

85

86

87

88

89

90

91

92

93

94

95

96

97

98

99

Inflation and Long-Term Interest Rates
Trend in Consumer Price
Inflation Rates

Recent Long-Term
Government Bond Rates

Percent change from year ago

1998Q4

1999Q1

1999Q2

1999Q3

Percent

Jul99

Aug99

Sep99

Oct99

United States

1.48

1.73

2.09

2.32

6.22

6.37

6.43

6.60

Canada

1.08

0.80

1.59

2.18

5.61

5.84

5.87

6.24

France

0.37

0.26

0.36

0.53

5.08

5.17

5.35

.

Germany

0.44

0.26

0.48

0.64

4.68

4.88

5.04

5.29

Italy

1.74

1.39

1.44

1.72

4.95

5.16

5.32

5.56

Japan

0.46

-0.10

-0.25

0.03

1.71

1.90

1.76

1.79

United Kingdom

2.96

2.20

1.42

1.17

5.33

5.38

5.65

.

Inflation and Long-Term Interest Rates Differentials
Percent
2

Inflation differential = Foreign inflation less U.S. Inflation

Percent
3

Long-term rate differential = Foreign rate less U.S. rate

U.K.

Canada
1
0

U.K.

0

Japan

Germany
-3
-1

Canada

Japan

Germany
-2

-6
1996

1997

1998

1999

1996

Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

1997

1998

1999

MonetaryTrends

11/16/99

Money Stock
M1

Bank

MZM

M2

M3

Credit

Monetary Base

Reserves

MSI M2

1994
.

1145.340

2919.235

3500.100

4303.777

3230.013

421.574

80.684

205.514

1995
.

1142.820

2905.387

3572.376

4499.721

3500.404

443.511

76.849

210.302

1996
.

1106.126

3095.474

3745.602

4796.153

3684.033

455.586

73.415

217.734

1997
.

1069.573

3317.480

3931.295

5176.320

3952.216

478.753

68.918

226.990

1998
.

1079.456

3702.138

4221.138

5700.668

4324.270

508.978

66.952

242.089

1997

1

1076.381

3221.703

3849.846

5012.635

3830.573

470.027

70.409

222.780

.

2

1065.603

3274.106

3895.394

5109.916

3911.280

473.896

68.177

225.080

.

3

1068.155

3347.031

3956.934

5228.843

3991.653

480.945

68.565

228.280

.

4

1068.155

3427.080

4023.005

5353.886

4075.358

490.144

68.519

231.820

1998

1

1076.826

3521.466

4099.036

5490.882

4188.465

498.387

67.711

235.857

.

2

1079.349

3635.433

4175.386

5628.141

4243.587

502.060

66.084

239.787

.

3

1074.077

3741.066

4246.608

5748.823

4342.740

511.592

66.951

243.463

.

4

1087.571

3910.588

4363.523

5934.823

4522.286

523.871

67.063

249.250

1999

1

1095.220

4025.421

4442.022

6046.987

4518.692

536.301

67.557

252.993

.

2

1104.750

4119.481

4505.467

6133.942

4527.762

545.930

66.311

256.440

.

3

1098.426

4189.719

4563.534

6221.103

4586.334

558.018

68.128

259.637

1997

Oct

1062.064

3399.477

3999.803

5305.712

4040.648

485.892

67.709

230.560

.

Nov

1067.528

3424.764

4022.827

5352.539

4080.693

490.783

68.772

231.750

.

Dec

1074.873

3457.000

4046.385

5403.407

4104.732

493.756

69.076

233.150

1998

Jan

1073.810

3486.131

4071.076

5448.172

4159.574

496.198

68.918

234.430

.

Feb

1076.021

3521.706

4100.450

5483.148

4187.995

499.555

67.414

235.900

.

Mar

1080.646

3556.561

4125.581

5541.327

4217.827

499.408

66.801

237.240

.

Apr

1082.094

3601.279

4154.526

5586.189

4220.744

499.601

66.000

238.870

.

May

1078.171

3634.842

4173.935

5627.871

4242.645

502.385

66.134

239.650

.

Jun

1077.782

3670.178

4197.696

5670.364

4267.371

504.193

66.117

240.840

.

Jul

1075.365

3694.535

4215.098

5690.425

4287.096

507.677

66.366

241.950

.

Aug

1072.214

3735.309

4240.558

5746.351

4346.583

511.093

67.434

243.160

.

Sep

1074.653

3793.355

4284.168

5809.694

4394.541

516.006

67.052

245.280

.

Oct

1080.404

3854.353

4325.546

5871.776

4489.826

520.803

67.055

247.330

.

Nov

1088.956

3912.146

4364.036

5936.876

4528.970

524.379

67.183

249.300

.

Dec

1093.354

3965.264

4400.986

5995.818

4548.063

526.432

66.952

251.120

1999

Jan

1091.000

3993.505

4424.960

6016.954

4538.600

531.713

68.375

252.230

.

Feb

1092.648

4034.733

4445.571

6064.727

4523.238

538.145

67.918

253.050

.

Mar

1102.013

4048.025

4455.534

6059.281

4494.239

539.045

66.379

253.700

.

Apr

1108.398

4093.213

4488.319

6103.929

4509.467

539.623

63.827

255.560

.

May

1104.751

4120.289

4505.870

6132.664

4518.816

548.349

68.239

256.450

.

Jun

1101.102

4144.940

4522.213

6165.232

4555.003

549.818

66.868

257.310

.

Jul

1099.506

4164.320

4543.075

6191.628

4552.422

553.082

66.902

258.500

.

Aug

1102.353

4193.943

4564.459

6218.564

4587.573

556.746

67.283

259.640

.

Sep

1093.420

4210.893

4583.067

6253.117

4619.007

564.226

70.198

260.770

.

Oct

1098.573

4237.099

4602.275

6306.904

4626.616

572.948

72.766

261.820

*All values are given in billions of dollars

Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

MonetaryTrends

11/16/99

Federal Discount Prime
Funds

Rate

Rate

1994
.

4.20

3.60

7.14

1995
.

5.84

5.21

8.83

1996
.

5.30

5.02

1997
.

5.46

1998
.

3-mo
CDs

Treasury Yields

Corporate

S&L

Conventional

3 mo

3 yr

30 yr Aaa Bonds Aaa Bonds

Mortgage

4.63

4.37

6.26

7.37

7.96

5.77

8.35

5.92

5.66

6.26

6.88

7.59

5.80

7.95

8.27

5.39

5.15

5.99

6.70

7.37

5.52

7.80

5.00

8.44

5.62

5.20

6.10

6.61

7.26

5.32

7.60

5.35

4.92

8.35

5.47

4.91

5.14

5.58

6.53

4.93

6.94

1997

1

5.28

5.00

8.27

5.44

5.20

6.19

6.82

7.43

5.44

7.79

.

2

5.52

5.00

8.50

5.69

5.19

6.42

6.93

7.57

5.49

7.93

.

3

5.53

5.00

8.50

5.60

5.18

6.01

6.53

7.17

5.23

7.47

.

4

5.51

5.00

8.50

5.73

5.23

5.78

6.14

6.88

5.14

7.20

1998

1

5.52

5.00

8.50

5.55

5.19

5.46

5.88

6.67

4.94

7.05

.

2

5.50

5.00

8.50

5.59

5.11

5.57

5.85

6.64

5.00

7.09

.

3

5.53

5.00

8.50

5.53

4.96

5.11

5.47

6.49

4.95

6.87

.

4

4.86

4.66

7.92

5.20

4.37

4.41

5.11

6.33

4.82

6.76

1999

1

4.73

4.50

7.75

4.90

4.53

4.87

5.37

6.42

4.87

6.88

.

2

4.75

4.50

7.75

4.98

4.59

5.35

5.80

6.93

5.05

7.20

.

3

5.09

4.60

8.10

5.38

4.79

5.71

6.04

7.33

5.42

7.80

1997

Oct

5.50

5.00

8.50

5.65

5.11

5.84

6.33

7.00

5.19

7.29

.

Nov

5.52

5.00

8.50

5.74

5.28

5.76

6.11

6.87

5.19

7.21

.

Dec

5.50

5.00

8.50

5.80

5.30

5.74

5.99

6.76

5.03

7.10

1998

Jan

5.56

5.00

8.50

5.54

5.18

5.38

5.81

6.61

4.88

6.99

.

Feb

5.51

5.00

8.50

5.54

5.23

5.43

5.89

6.67

4.92

7.04

.

Mar

5.49

5.00

8.50

5.58

5.16

5.57

5.95

6.72

5.03

7.13

.

Apr

5.45

5.00

8.50

5.58

5.08

5.58

5.92

6.69

5.00

7.14

.

May

5.49

5.00

8.50

5.59

5.14

5.61

5.93

6.69

5.04

7.14

.

Jun

5.56

5.00

8.50

5.60

5.12

5.52

5.70

6.53

4.97

7.00

.

Jul

5.54

5.00

8.50

5.59

5.09

5.47

5.68

6.55

5.01

6.95

.

Aug

5.55

5.00

8.50

5.58

5.04

5.24

5.54

6.52

5.01

6.92

.

Sep

5.51

5.00

8.49

5.41

4.74

4.62

5.20

6.40

4.84

6.72

.

Oct

5.07

4.86

8.12

5.21

4.07

4.18

5.01

6.37

4.76

6.71

.

Nov

4.83

4.63

7.89

5.24

4.53

4.57

5.25

6.41

4.87

6.87

.

Dec

4.68

4.50

7.75

5.14

4.50

4.48

5.06

6.22

4.83

6.72

1999

Jan

4.63

4.50

7.75

4.89

4.45

4.61

5.16

6.24

4.85

6.79

.

Feb

4.76

4.50

7.75

4.90

4.56

4.90

5.37

6.40

4.80

6.81

.

Mar

4.81

4.50

7.75

4.91

4.57

5.11

5.58

6.62

4.96

7.04

.

Apr

4.74

4.50

7.75

4.88

4.41

5.03

5.55

6.64

4.89

6.92

.

May

4.74

4.50

7.75

4.92

4.63

5.33

5.81

6.93

5.05

7.15

.

Jun

4.76

4.50

7.75

5.13

4.72

5.70

6.04

7.23

5.22

7.55

.

Jul

4.99

4.50

8.00

5.24

4.69

5.62

5.98

7.19

5.24

7.63

.

Aug

5.07

4.56

8.06

5.41

4.87

5.77

6.07

7.40

5.47

7.94

.

Sep

5.22

4.75

8.25

5.50

4.82

5.75

6.07

7.39

5.56

7.82

.

Oct

5.20

4.75

8.25

6.13

5.02

5.94

6.26

7.55

5.78

7.85

*All values are given as a percent at an annual rate

Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

MonetaryTrends

M1

MZM

11/16/99

M2

M3

Percent change from previous period
1994
.

6.17

2.61

1.38

1.60

1995
.

-0.22

-0.47

2.06

4.55

1996
.

-3.21

6.54

4.85

6.59

1997
.

-3.30

7.17

4.96

7.93

1998
.

0.92

11.59

7.37

10.13

1997

1

-0.47

1.77

1.19

1.87

.

2

-1.00

1.63

1.18

1.94

.

3

0.24

2.23

1.58

2.33

.

4

0.00

2.39

1.67

2.39

1998

1

0.81

2.75

1.89

2.56

.

2

0.23

3.24

1.86

2.50

.

3

-0.49

2.91

1.71

2.14

.

4

1.26

4.53

2.75

3.24

1999

1

0.70

2.94

1.80

1.89

.

2

0.87

2.34

1.43

1.44

.

3

-0.57

1.71

1.29

1.42

1997

Oct

-0.26

0.66

0.46

0.70

.

Nov

0.51

0.74

0.58

0.88

.

Dec

0.69

0.94

0.59

0.95

1998

Jan

-0.10

0.84

0.61

0.83

.

Feb

0.21

1.02

0.72

0.64

.

Mar

0.43

0.99

0.61

1.06

.

Apr

0.13

1.26

0.70

0.81

.

May

-0.36

0.93

0.47

0.75

.

Jun

-0.04

0.97

0.57

0.76

.

Jul

-0.22

0.66

0.41

0.35

.

Aug

-0.29

1.10

0.60

0.98

.

Sep

0.23

1.55

1.03

1.10

.

Oct

0.54

1.61

0.97

1.07

.

Nov

0.79

1.50

0.89

1.11

.

Dec

0.40

1.36

0.85

0.99

1999

Jan

-0.22

0.71

0.54

0.35

.

Feb

0.15

1.03

0.47

0.79

.

Mar

0.86

0.33

0.22

-0.09

.

Apr

0.58

1.12

0.74

0.74

.

May

-0.33

0.66

0.39

0.47

.

Jun

-0.33

0.60

0.36

0.53

.

Jul

-0.14

0.47

0.46

0.43

.

Aug

0.26

0.71

0.47

0.44

.

Sep

-0.81

0.40

0.41

0.56

.

Oct

0.47

0.62

0.42

0.86

Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

Definitions

Notes

M1: the sum of: currency held outside the vaults of depository institutions, Federal Reserve Banks, and the U.S. Treasury; travelers checks;
and demand and other checkable deposits issued by financial institutions, except demand deposits due to the Treasury and depository institutions, minus cash items in process of collection and Federal Reserve
float.

Page 3: MZM, or “Money, Zero Maturity” includes the zero maturity,
or immediately available, components of M3. MZM equals M2 minus
small denomination time deposits, plus institutional money market
mutual funds (that is, the money market mutual funds included in M3
but excluded from M2). Readers are cautioned that since early 1994 the
level and growth of M1 have been depressed by retail sweep programs
that reclassify transactions deposits (demand deposits and other checkable deposits) as savings deposits overnight, thereby reducing banks’
required reserves; see http://www.stls.frb.org/research/swdata.html. For
analytical purposes, MZM largely replaces M1. The Discount Rate
and Expected Federal Funds Rate shown in the chart Reserve Market Rates, are plotted as of the date of the change, while the Effective
Federal Funds Rate is plotted as of the end of the month. Interest rates
in the table are monthly averages from the Board of Governors H.15
Statistical Release. Treasury Yield Curve shows constant maturity
yields calculated by the U.S. Treasury Department for securities with 3
months and 1, 2, 3, 5, 7,10, 20 and 30 years to maturity. Daily data and
a description are available at
http://www.stls.frb.org/fred/data/wkly.html. See also Federal Reserve
Bulletin, table 1.35.

MZM: M2 minus small denomination time deposits, plus institutional
money market mutual funds. The label MZM was coined by William
Poole (1991) for this aggregate, proposed earlier by Motley (1988).
Due to distortions caused by regulatory changes, the largest of which
the introduction of money market accounts, data for MZM begin March
1983 in this publication.
M2: M1 plus: savings deposits (including money market deposit accounts) and small denomination (less than $100,000) time deposits
issued by financial institutions; and shares in retail money market mutual funds (funds with initial investments of less than $50,000), net of
retirement accounts.
M3: M2 plus: large denomination ($100,000 or more) time deposits;
repurchase agreements issued by depository institutions; Eurodollar
deposits, specifically, dollar-denominated deposits due to nonbank U.S.
addresses held at foreign offices of U.S. banks worldwide and all
banking offices in Canada and the United Kingdom; and institutional
money market mutual funds (funds with initial investments of $50,000
or more).
Bank Credit: all loans, leases and securities held by commercial
banks.
Domestic Nonfinancial Debt: total credit market liabilities of the U.S.
Treasury, federally sponsored agencies, state and local governments,
households, and firms except depository institutions and money market
mutual funds.
Adjusted Monetary Base: the sum of currency in circulation outside
Federal Reserve Banks and the U.S. Treasury, deposits of depository
financial institutions at Federal Reserve Banks, and an adjustment for
the effects of changes in statutory reserve requirements on the quantity
of base money held by depositories. This series is a spliced chain index; see Anderson and Rasche (1996a,b).
Adjusted Reserves: the sum of vault cash and Federal Reserve Bank
deposits held by depository institutions, and an adjustment for the effects of changes in statutory reserve requirements on the quantity of
base money held by depositories. This series, a spliced chain index, is
numerically larger than the Board of Governors’ measure which excludes vault cash not used to satisfy statutory reserve requirements and
Federal Reserve Bank deposits used to satisfy required clearing balance
contracts; see Anderson and Rasche (1996a) and
http://www.stls.frb.org/research/newbase.html.
Monetary Services Index: an index which measures the flow of
monetary services received by households and firms from their holdings
of liquid assets; see Anderson, Jones and Nesmith (1997). Indexes are
shown for the assets included in M2; additional data are available at
http://www.stls.frb.org/research/msi/index.html.
Note: M1, M2, M3, Bank Credit and Domestic Nonfinancial Debt are
constructed and published by the Board of Governors of the Federal
Reserve System. For details, see Federal Reserve Bulletin, tables 1.21
and 1.26. MZM, Adjusted Monetary Base, Adjusted Reserves and
Monetary Services Index are constructed and published by the Research
Division of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

Page 5: Total Checkable Deposits is the sum of demand and other
checkable deposits. Total Savings Deposits is the sum of money market deposit accounts (MMDA), and passbook and statement savings.
Time Deposits have a minimum initial maturity of 7 days. Large Time
Deposits are deposits of $100,000 or more. Retail and Institutional
Money Market Mutual Funds are as included in M2 and the non-M2
component of M3, respectively.
Page 7: Excess Reserves plus RCB (Required Clearing Balance)
Contracts equals the amount of deposits at Federal Reserve Banks held
by depository institutions but not applied to satisfy statutory reserve
requirements. (This measure excludes the vault cash held by depository
institutions that is not applied to satisfy statutory reserve requirements.)
Consumer credit includes most short- and intermediate-term credit
extended to individuals. See Federal Reserve Bulletin, table 1.55.
Page 8: Inflation expectations measures include the quarterly Federal
Reserve Bank of Philadelphia Survey of Professional Forecasters, the
monthly University of Michigan Survey Research Center’s Surveys of
Consumers, and the annual Federal Open Market Committee range as
reported to the Congress in the February Humphrey-Hawkins Act testimony each year. CPI Inflation is the percentage change from a year
ago in the CPI for all urban consumers. Real Interest Rates are ex post
measures, equal to nominal rates minus CPI inflation.
Page 9: FOMC Expected Federal Funds Rate is the level (or midpoint of the range, if applicable) of the federal funds rate that the staff
of the Federal Open Market Committee expected to be consistent with
the desired degree of pressure on bank reserve positions.
Page 10: Federal Funds Rate and Inflation Targets shows the observed federal funds rate, quarterly, and the level of the funds rate implied by applying Taylor’s (1993) equation
ft* = 2.0 + πt-1 + (πt-1 - π*)/2 + 100 × (yt-1 - yt-1P)/2
to five alternative target inflation rates π* = 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 percent, where
ft* is the implied federal funds rate, πt-1 is the previous period’s inflation
rate (CPI), yt-1 is the log of the previous period’s level of real GDP, and
yt-1P is the log of an estimate of the previous period’s level of potential
output. Potential real output is as estimated by the Congressional
Budget Office.
Monetary Base Growth and Inflation Targets shows the quarterly
growth of the adjusted monetary base (modified to include an estimate
of the effect of sweep programs) implied by applying McCallum’s
(1988, 1993) equation
∆MBt* = π* + (10-year moving average growth of real GDP)
– (4-year moving average of base velocity growth)
to five alternative target inflation rates π* = 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 percent, where
∆MBt* is the implied growth rate of the adjusted monetary base. The
10-year moving average growth of real GDP for a quarter “t” is calculated as the average quarterly growth during the previous 40 quarters, at

an annual rate, by the formula ((yt - yt-40)/40) × 4 × 100, where yt is the
log of real GDP. The four-year moving average of base velocity growth
is calculated similarly. To adjust the monetary base for the effect of
retail-deposit sweep programs, we add to the monetary base an amount
equal to 10 percent of the total amount swept, as estimated by the Federal Reserve Board staff. These estimates are imprecise, at best. Sweep
program data are available at
http://www.stls.frb.org/research/swdata.html.
Page 11: Implied One–Year Forward Rates are calculated by this
Bank from Treasury constant maturity yields. Yields to maturity, R(m),
for securities with m = 1,..., 30 years to maturity are obtained by linear
interpolation between reported yields. These yields are smoothed by
fitting the regression suggested by Nelson and Siegel (1987)
R(m) = a0 + (a1 + a2)(1 – e-m/50)/(m/50) – a2 × e-m/50,
and forward rates are calculated from these smoothed yields using
equation (a) in Table 13.1 of Shiller (1990)
f(m) = [D(m)R(m) – D(m-1)] / [D(m) – D(m-1)]
where duration is approximated as D(m) = (1 – e–R(m) × m) / R(m). These
rates are linear approximations to the true instantaneous forward rates;
see Shiller. For a discussion of the use of forward rates as indicators of
inflation expectations, see Sharpe (1997). Rates on 3-Month Eurodollar Futures and Rates on Selected Fed Funds Futures Contracts
each trace through time the yield on three specific contracts. Implied
Yields on Fed Funds Futures displays a single day’s snapshot of
yields for contracts expiring in the months shown on the horizontal axis.
Inflation-Protected Treasury Yield Spreads equal, for 5, 10, and 30
year maturities, the difference between the Treasury constant maturity
yield and the yield on the most recently issued inflation-protected security. Inflation-Indexed Bonds for Canada are the 31-year bond with a
maturity date of 12/01/2026; for the U.K., the 37.5-year bond with a
maturity date of 07/17/2024 and the 12.1-year bond with a maturity date
of 10/21/2004; and, for the U.S., the 30-year bond with a maturity date
of 04/15/2028 and the 10-year bond with a maturity date of 01/15/2007.
Page 12: Velocity (for MZM and M2) equals the ratio of GDP, measured in current dollars, to the level of the monetary aggregate. MZM
and M2 Own Rates are weighted averages of the rates received by
households and firms on the assets included in the aggregates. Two
alternative opportunity costs are shown, one relative to the 3-month
Treasury constant-maturity yield, the other to the 5-year constantmaturity yield.
Page 13: Real Gross Domestic Product is GDP as measured in
chained 1996 dollars. The Gross Domestic Product Price Index is the
implicit price deflator for GDP, which is defined by the Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Department of Commerce, as the ratio of GDP
measured in current dollars to GDP measured in chained 1996 dollars.
Page 14: Investment Securities are all securities held by commercial
banks in both investment and trading accounts.

Sources
Bank of Canada
Canadian inflation-linked bond yields.
Bank of England
U.K. inflation-linked bond yields.
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
Monetary aggregates and components, nonfinancial debt: H.6 release;
bank credit and components: H.8 release; consumer credit: G.19 release; required reserves, excess reserves, clearing balance contracts
and discount window borrowing: H.4.1 and H.3 releases; interest
rates: H.15 and G.13 releases; nonfinancial commercial paper: Board
of Governors web site; M2 and MZM own rates.
Bureau of Economic Analysis
Gross domestic product.
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Consumer price index.
Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia

Survey of Professional Forecasters inflation expectations.
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Adjusted monetary base and adjusted total reserves, monetary services index, one-year forward rates.
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
International interest and inflation rates.
University of Michigan Survey Research Center
Median expected price change.
Congressional Budget Office
Potential real GDP.
Dow Jones and Co. (Wall Street Journal)
Federal funds futures contracts, Eurodollar futures.
Standard and Poors Inc.
Stock price-earnings ratio, stock price composite index.
U.S. Department of the Treasury
U.S. inflation-protected security yields.

References
Anderson, Richard G. and Robert H. Rasche (1996a). “A Revised
Measure of the St. Louis Adjusted Monetary Base,” Federal Reserve
Bank of St. Louis Review, March/April 1996, pp. 3 - 13.
and
(1996b). “Measuring the Adjusted Monetary Base in an
Era of Financial Change,” Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Review,
November/December 1996, pp. 3 - 37.
, Barry E. Jones and Travis D. Nesmith (1997). “Special Report:
The Monetary Services Indexes Project of the Federal Reserve Bank of
St. Louis,” Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Review, January/ February 1997, pp. 31 - 82.
McCallum, Bennett T. (1988). “Robustness Properties of a Monetary
Policy Rule,” Carnegie-Rochester Conference Series on Public Policy,
vol. 29, pp. 173 - 204.
(1993). “Specification and Analysis of a Monetary Policy Rule for
Japan,” Bank of Japan Monetary and Economic Studies, November, pp.
1 - 45.
Motley, Brian (1988). “Should M2 Be Redefined?” Federal Reserve
Bank of San Francisco Economic Review, Winter, pp. 33 - 51.
Nelson, Charles R. and Andrew F. Siegel (1987). “Parsimonious Modeling of Yield Curves,” Journal of Business, October, pp. 473 - 89.
Poole, William (1991). Statement before the Subcommittee on Domestic Monetary Policy of the Committee on Banking, Finance and Urban
Affairs, U.S. House of Representatives, November 6, 1991. Government Printing Office, Serial No. 102-82.
Sharpe, William F. (1997). Macro-Investment Analysis, on-line textbook available at www-sharpe.stanford.edu/mia.htm.
Shiller, Robert (1990). “The Term Structure of Interest Rates,” Handbook of Monetary Economics, vol. 1, B. Friedman and F. Hahn, eds.,
pp. 627 - 722.
Taylor, John B. (1993). “Discretion versus Policy Rules in Practice,”
Carnegie-Rochester Conference Series on Public Policy, vol. 39, pp.
195 - 214.
Note: Articles from this Bank’s Review are available on the Internet at
www.stls.frb.org/research/reviewdat.html.