Monetary policy describes the ways in which the ꦍcentral banks change the money supply in order to accomplish certain economic objectives. In the U.S. this is done by the Federal Reserve.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is monetary policy?

    Monetary policy is how central banks influence the economy by raising or lowering the money supply. This is in contrast to fiscal policy, which is how the government uses its taxes and spending to affec෴t the economy.

  • What are the tools of monetary policy?

    Monetary po🌸licy has a few main tools—reserve requirements, discount🦂 rates, open market operations (OMO), and quantitative easing (QE).

  • How does monetary policy affect markets?

    Monetary policy affects markets in many ways, however, two main ones include boosting or dampening the economy as a whole, and raising or lowering bond yields. First, as expansionary monetary policy can boost the economy as a whole, investme🅺nts more sensitive to the business cycle will usually benefit and vice versa with contractionary policy. Secondly, monetary policy’s effect on interest rates causes yields to rise and fall, which changes the relative value of existing interest-bearin𓃲g investments.

  • What is the꧟ difference between expansionary mone✱tary policy and contractionary monetary policy?

    Expansionary monetary policy is when a central bank increases the monꦇey supply which fig﷽hts recessions and increases economic growth. Contractionary economic policy pulls money out of the economy in order to fight inflation.

Key Terms

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International Monetary Fund (IMF)
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M2
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Demonetization: Removing the legal tender status of a currency.
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Import Substitution Industrialization (ISI): An economic policy sometimes adopted by developing nations to decrease their dependence on developed countries.
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Fixed Exchange Rate: Tying the value of a country’s currency to another currency or the price of gold.
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Narrow Money: Definition, Qualifying Acꦗcounts, vs. Broad ✅Money
Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF): A way for banks and financial institutions to raise funds to meet capital requirements.
What Is a Liquidity Adjustment Facility in Monetary🥂 Policy?
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Liquidity Trap
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Monetary Base: The total amount of a currency in circulation or held in reserves.
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Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1)
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United States Federal Reserve Building, Washington DC, USA
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Macroeconomic Stabilization Fund (FEM)
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Stimulus Check
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Tapering: A type of central bank activity in which stimulative policies are gradually withdrawn.
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How Quantitative Easing (QE෴) Affects🅠 the Stock Market
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IMF Special Drawing Rights