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PERSPECTIVE ON MONETARY POLICY Remarks by Robert P. Forrestal, President Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta To the Seminar on Monetary and Fiscal Policy, Vanderbilt University January 19, 1994 I. A Federal Reserve Bank like the one in Atlanta is involved in three main businesses. (Chart 1) A. B. Providing financial services for depository institutions and the federal government. 1. Clear checks, supply and process cash, and transfer funds and securities electronically. 2. Bank for banks: holds reserves, makes loans through "discount window." 3. Fiscal agent for the U.S. Treasury: auctions for securities, maintain Treasury Department checking account, clears checks drawn on that account. Supervision and regulation of the activities of bank holding companies and certain commercial banks. 1. Is primary regulator for state-chartered Federal Reserve member banks and all bank holding companies. 3. 4. Acts of Congress become Fed regulations (e.g. Expedited Funds Activity is enforced as Reg CC). 5. Explain examination process. a. b. Safety and soundness according to CAMEL. Separate examinations for compliance with consumer regulations, such as CRA. C. II. Mandates capital requirements and processes applications for bank mergers and acquisitions. 7. Note that Fed can't prevent individual banks from failing—our concern is the industry as a whole rather than single institutions. Contributing to the formulation of national monetary policy 1. One of the two tools of macroeconomic policy, the other being the government's fiscal policy. 2. Will discuss mechanics of monetary policy process in more detail in a moment. Overview of System A. Fed has dual nature that makes it at once public and private in its operations. (Chart 2: Organization of the System) B. Partially reflected in the differences between the Board of Governors in Washington and the District Banks. C. III. 6. 1. Board members are appointed by the President with the advice and consent of Congress. 2. District Banks are organized like private corporations: governed by their own boards of directors, sell services to banks through our financial Public service type activities—supervision and regulation of banks and monetary policy formulation—jointly carried out by the Board and the District Banks. Monetary Policy Formation and Implementation A. Fed seeks to influence anticipated economic activity by affecting the demand for and supply of money and credit. 1. Decisions are made as to how much, if at all, pressure on bank reserve positions should be increased or decreased. 2. Three tools for implementing strategy: a. Adjust reserve requirements b. Adjust the discount rate, the tool over which directors of the District Banks have the most influence c. Open market operations (1) Operations consist of buying and/or selling large quantities of government securities, thereby adding and subtracting, respectively, from banks' reserves. (2) Most open market activity is aimed at making short-term adjustments in the reserves of depository institutions. 3. Banks become more willing to supply credit, and interest rates fall when pressure on their reserve positions is eased through any of these three tools. 4. When we provide fewer reserves for a given period, we push them toward borrowing at the discount window. Over time, Fed policy affects economic activity, but it is not the only factor influencing the economy at any given time. 1. The government's fiscal policy—budget and taxation—carries its own consequences. 2. In global economy, the policies of foreign governments have an impact on the U.S. economy. 3. Other factors whose effect is very difficult to foresee—oil supply shocks and demographic shifts—also add to the mix. 4. Thus two major points about the process of devising this strategy bear emphasizing at the outset: 5. a. The environment of the policymaker is dominated by uncertainty. b. Fed policy has its effects with a lag; thus, successful policy entails maintaining a vision of the economy in terms of optimal performance under the conditions we project 6 months to 18 months down the road. Long-term objectives represent desired values for real income-usually expressed in terms of real GDP—and for employment and prices. 4 C. In general, we work on the assumption that the more ease there is in the amount of available money and credit, the more stimulus is provided for GDP growth; growth in turn reduces unemployment. b. Excess ease in money tends to be associated with inflation. The Fed uses certain barometers of the relative ease or tightness of money in the economy as policy guides. 1. a. During the late '70s, one group of barometers—the monetary aggregates, M l, M2, and M3-became institutionalized as intermediate targets for monetary policy. (Chart 3: Definitions of the Monetary Aggregates) a. The Humphrey-Hawkins legislation of 1978 requires the Fed Chairman to report target ranges for growth of the three Ms in his semiannual testimony to Congress. b. Because of deregulation and financial innovation, these measures no longer provide reliable guidance. 2. Thus, in 1986 we stopped setting targets for M l, looking more closely at M2 and M3 instead. 3. Today, policy does not rely on the monetary aggregates as heavily as in the past, but the Ms are taken into account as part of an extensive examination of current and projected economic conditions. 4. Note importance of Fed Funds rate as indicator of pressure on banks' reserves; also the most direct window for "Fed watchers." 5 IV. The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) A. B. C. D. Members are the Board of Governors and the presidents of the 12 District Banks. 1. Describe voting president rotation. (I am a voting member this year. Last time was 1991.) 2. Note that all presidents participate, along with their research directors, and provide regional information supplied in part by directors. FOMC assesses an elaborate forecast of the economy prepared by the Board's staff based on a large-scale model of the economy. 1. Also need to consider exogenous factors that are not predictable—for instance, what Congress might do. 2. A full-scale simulation that projects for a period of 4 to 8 quarters is done about 4 times a year; estimates are updated prior to each FOMC meeting in response to new data. 3. The forecast indicates the income, employment, and inflation that are expected to be consistent with a particular policy and assumptions about exogenous factors. District Bank research staffs conduct their own discussions of the economy prior to the FOMC meeting. 1. We debate the exogenous variables and also have a small mathematical forecasting model that projects GDP, employment, and prices. 2. Directors report monthly on very recent developments in their industries and localities. At FOMC meetings, there is an extensive discussion of the District Banks' forecasts along with discussion of the Board's forecast. 1. The FOMC typically reaffirms the objectives for the monetary aggregates. 2. Starting in the late 1970s, except for a few periods, the FOMC has steadily reduced the ranges for the aggregates to signal its desire to reduce inflation. 3. In 1993, we reduced the ranges twice bringing them to 1 percent to 5 percent for M2 and 0 percent to 4 percent for M3. In contrast, the ranges 6 were considerably higher eight years ago at 5-1/2 percent to 8-1/2 percent for both aggregates. (Chart 4: Money Supply-M2, 1990-1994) 4. E. V. FOMC does not aim to achieve the growth within the specified ranges irrespective of what is happening in the economy. 1. In the fall of 1982, for example, we purposely did not respond to above-range money growth. The country was in the deepest recession of the post-World War II era and actions to restrain money growth would have meant greater pressure on bank reserve position and rising interest rates. 2. In 1985, when depository institutions were permitted to introduce checkable accounts that paid interest, we experienced abnormal patterns of M l behavior that caused us to put less weight on M l and eventually to move to M2 as a more reliable indicator of money growth. How an FOMC meeting works A. Open Market Committee meetings have been held in some form since the 1920s, but the FOMC as we know it today was established by the Banking Act of 1935. B. Meetings are held eight times a year-the next one will be held February 3-4, 1994. " 1. C. VI. This past year M2 and M3 ended up at the lower end of their specified ranges, as they did the year before. Description of meeting: Chairman enters; report of foreign desk; domestic operations; summary of staff outlook; discussion; coffee; policy alternatives (note blue book, green book, beige book, gold book); goround; vote. Each voting president in turn is charged with monitoring the Fed's open market operations. 1. Daily conference call. 2. New York desk manager typically discusses current financial market conditions and his proposed action for the day. FOMC's short-term response functions as a guide to the manager of the System Open 7 Market Account. A. The manager of the Open Market Account, who is an official at the New York Fed, reports directly to the FOMC. 1. He and his staff—about 60 people all told-are responsible for executing policy decisions. 2. In the short run, FOMC may tolerate more rapid or slower growth in monetary aggregates than specified. 3. For example, if we expect income growth to accelerate to an unsustainable pace, we might want to make policy more restrictive to prevent a build-up in inflation. 4. a. Several alternatives: could move to restrain bank reserve growth now; could restrain growth a little bit now, raising the possibility that more might need to be done later. b. Staff shows alternatives to the FOMC, and members are thus permitted to incorporate their own judgments of the economy into their decision. Those who are fairly certain the economy is accelerating would choose to tighten. (2) Those less certain about the degree of change in the economy could opt for gradual adjustments. (3) Those who disagree with the forecast could choose to make no change in policy or even to ease. c. Each alternative contains short-run specifications for a reaction function for the Desk—one that is related to the policy thrust the committee has chosen. d. They also condition the response to incoming information. These specifications define the conditions under which the System will supply reserves. a. (1) If, for example, market participants thought we were being "too easy," the yield curve would get steeper, reflecting expectations that interest rates would need to rise by more later on. This can be seen in the yield curve for October 16, 1987— the Friday before the dramatic stock market correction (Chart 5: Yield Curve). 8 5. b. If they thought that we were being "too tight" and that the economy would weaken significantly, then long-term interest rates might decline relative to short term ones and the yield curve would flatten. (Broken line on Chart 6: Yield Curves for 8/3/90 and 1/11/94) • c. Note on this graph that on August 3, 1990 (broken line), the spread between the 3-month and 30-year instruments was only about 1/2 a point. The present yield curve is much steeper. Procedures also allow flexibility to cope with unexpected events, as after the stock market crash in October of 1987. VII. The most recent directive A. VIII. Reading the records of policy actions taken as printed in the Federal Reserve Bulletin can give you a picture of what data FOMC members considered to be the most relevant economic data during a given period. 1. The most recent meeting that is a matter of public record was the November 16, 1993, meeting. 2. If you will look at pages 17 and 18 of the copy Dr. Daane provided for you, I will highlight some of the key points. (Go to highlighted copy). Outlook for the economy in the year ahead A. In 1993, real GDP expanded by just under 3 percent on an annual average basis. 1. The average annual unemployment rate fell to 6.8 percent in 1993. . . %7 The CPI increased on an annual average basis by 2.9 percent. B. C. The economy should grow at a moderate pace of slightly more than 3 (3.3 to be exact) percent on average in 1994. 1. The jobless rate should drop about 1/2 a percentage point on average to 6.3 percent. 2. Inflation should be 2 1/2 to 3 percent. Expansion will be supported by renewed strength in residential construction, 9 2. IX. Inflation should be around 3 percent. C. Expansion will be supported by renewed strength in residential construction, consumer spending (particularly on durables), and strong increases in equipment, especially computers, for business fixed investment. Imbalances have been worked down substantially (balance sheet, real estate, banking). D. Weak points are defense spending, commercial construction, net exports. E. Inflation 1. Price pressures still look moderate. 2. Nonetheless, fighting inflation is a primary focus of the Fed-and much moreso than any other agency, and we must remain ever vigilant. 3. Thus, even in the current economy, we must proceed cautiously and be prepared to tighten monetary policy, lest we lose all the gains we have made against inflation in recent years. Conclusion, Questions and Answers Chart 1 A FEDERAL RESERVE BANK: Its Three Main Businesses Providing financial sen/ices for depository institutions and the Federal Government Supen/ising and regulating the activities of bank holding companies and certain commercial banks Contributing to the formation of national monetary policy Chart 2 ORGANIZATION OF THE FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Chart 3 DEFINITIONS OF THE MONETARY AGGREGATES + + M1 + Currency (of the nonbank public) Demand deposits at commercial banks Other checkable deposits, including: NOW, Super NOW, and ATS accounts at banks and thrifts Credit union share drafts Demand deposits at mutual savings banks Travelers checks of nonbank issuers M1 + Savings and small-denomination time deposits at all depository institutions (including retail repurchase agreements) + Overnight repurchase agreements at commercial banks* + Overnight Eurodollar balances* + Money market deposit accounts* (MMDAs) + General purpose and broker/dealer money market mutual fund shares * (including tax-exempt MMMFs) + + + + *Not seasonally adjusted M2 Large-denomination time deposits at all depository institutions Term repurchase agreements at commercial banks and S&Ls* Institution-only money market mutual fund shares* (including tax-exempt MMMFs) Term Eurodollar balances at depository institutions and MMMFs Chart 4 MONEY SUPPLY-M2 $ Billions Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, Research Dept. Percent Chart 5 YIELD CURVES TREASURY SECURITIES Years To Maturity Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, Research Dept. Percent Chart 6 YIELD CURVES TREASURY SECURITIES Years To Maturity Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, Research Dept. Chart 7 REAL GDP Billion of 1987$ 5200 ___________________________ 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 Quarter Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, Research Dept. 1992 1993 C hart 8 CONSUMER PRICE INDEX Year-Ago Percent Change Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, Research Dept.
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