Central Banks and the Federal Reserve System Answers

Financial Markets and Institutions Central Banks and the Federal Reserve System 1) Americans' fear of centralized power and their distrust of moneyed interests explain why the U.S. did not have a central bank until the  20th century. 2) Bank panics in 1819, 1837, 1857, 1873, 1884, 1893, and 1907 convinced many that  a central bank was needed to prevent future financial panics. 3) The unusual structure of the Federal Reserve System is perhaps best explained by  Americans' fear of centralized power.  the traditional American distrust of moneyed interests. 4) The traditional American distrust of moneyed interests and the fear of centralized power help to explain  the failures of the first two experiments in central banking in the United States.  the decentralized structure of the Federal Reserve System.  why the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System is not located in New York. 5) The financial panic of 1907 resulted in such widespread bank failures and substantial losses to depositors that the American public finally became convinced that  a central bank was needed to prevent future panics. 6) Nationwide financial panics in 1873, 1884, 1893, and 1907 might have been avoided had  the Second Bank of the United States not been abolished in 1836 by President Andrew Jackson. 7) The many regional Federal Reserve banks resulted from a compromise between parties favoring  a private central bank and those favoring a government institution. 8) Which of the following is an element of the Federal Reserve System?  The Federal Reserve banks  The Board of Governors 9) Which of the following is an element of the Federal Reserve System?  The Federal Reserve banks  The Board of Governors  The FOMC 10) Which of the following is not an entity of the Federal Reserve System? A) Federal Reserve banks B) The FDIC C) The Board of Governors D) The Federal Advisory Council E) Member commercial banks  Answer: B 11) Which of the following functions are not performed by any of the twelve regional Federal Reserve banks? A) Check clearing B) Conducting economic research C) Setting interest rates payable on time deposits D) Issuing new currency  Answer: C 12) Which Federal Reserve Bank president always has a vote in the Federal Open Market Committee? A) Philadelphia B) New York C) Boston D) San Francisco  Answer: B 13) Each Fed bank president attends FOMC meetings; although only ________ Fed bank presidents vote on policy, all ________ provide input.  five; twelve 14) The ________ Fed bank, with about 25 percent of the system's assets, is the most important of the Federal Reserve banks.  New York 15) Member commercial banks have purchased stock in their district Fed banks; the dividend paid by that stock is limited to  six percent annually. 16) All ________ are required to be members of the Fed.  nationally chartered banks 17) Which of the following banks are required to be members of the Federal Reserve System?  State-chartered banks  Insured banks  Banks having over $500 million in assets 18) Of all commercial banks, about ________ percent belong to the Federal Reserve System.  33 19) Banks subject to reserve requirements set by the Federal Reserve System include  all banks whether or not they are members of the Federal Reserve System. 20) The Fed's support of the Depository Institutions Deregulation and Monetary Control Act of 1980 stemmed in part from its  concern over declining Fed membership. 21) Which of the following are duties of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System?  Setting margin requirements, the fraction of the purchase price of securities that has to be paid for with cash. 22) Which of the following are not duties of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System?  Setting the maximum interest rates payable on certain types of time deposits under Regulation Q. 23) The chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System exercises a high degree of control over the board  through his ability to set the agenda of the Board and the FOMC.  through his role as spokesperson for the Fed with the President and before Congress. 24) Members of the Board of Governors are  appointed by the president of the United States and confirmed by the Senate as members resign. 25) Each member of the seven-member Board of Governors is appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate to serve  14-year terms. 26) The Board of Governors  establishes, within limits, reserve requirements.  effectively sets the discount rate.  sets margin requirements. 27) Although neither ________ nor the ________ is officially set by the Federal Open Market Committee, decisions concerning these policy tools are effectively made by the committee.  reserve requirements; discount rate 28) Although the Federal Open Market Committee does not have formal authority to set ________ and the ________, it does possess the authority in practice.  reserve requirements; discount rate 29) Which of the following are true statements?  The FOMC usually meets every six weeks to set monetary policy.  The FOMC issues directives to the trading desk at the New York Fed.  Designers of the Federal Reserve Act did not envision the use of open market operations as a monetary policy tool. 30) The Federal Open Market Committee consists of  the seven members of the Board of Governors and five presidents of the regional Fed banks. 31) The Federal Reserve entity that determines monetary policy strategy is the  Federal Open Market Committee. 32) Which of the following are true statements?  The FOMC usually meets every six weeks to set monetary policy.  The FOMC issues directives to the trading desk at the New York Fed. 33) The designers of the Federal Reserve Act meant to create a central bank characterized by its  system of checks and balances and decentralization of power. 34) The power within the Federal Reserve was effectively transferred to the Board of Governors by  the banking legislation of the Great Depression. 35) Factors that provide the Federal Reserve with a high degree of independence include  14-year terms for members of the Board of Governors.  a four-year term for the chairman of the Board of Governors that is not coincident with the president's term of office. 36) Federal Reserve independence is thought to  introduce longer-run considerations to monetary policymaking. 37) Members of Congress are able to influence monetary policy, albeit indirectly, through their ability to  propose legislation that would force the Fed to submit budget requests to Congress, as must other government agencies. 38) Although it enjoys a high degree of autonomy, the Fed is still subject to the influence of Congress because  Congress can pass legislation that would restrict the Fed's independence. 39) According to the textbook authors, the Fed is  remarkably free of the political pressures that influence other government agencies.  probably somewhat constrained in its policymaking by the congressional threat to reduce Fed independence. 40) According to the textbook authors,  the Fed appears to be remarkably free of the political pressures that influence other government agencies.  since the president can protect the Fed from Congress, the Fed may be responsive to the president's policy preferences. 41) The oldest central bank, founded in 1694, is the  Bank of England. 42) The newest central bank, which began operations in January 1999, is the  European Central Bank. 43) Which of the following central banks has the greatest degree of independence?  European Central Bank 44) A trend in recent years is that more and more governments  have been granting greater independence to their central banks. 45) The theory of bureaucratic behavior suggests that the objective of a bureaucracy is to maximize  its own welfare. 46) The theory of bureaucratic behavior suggests that the Federal Reserve will  try to avoid a conflict with the president and Congress over increases in interest rates.  try to gain regulatory power over more banks.  devise clever strategies in an effort to avoid blame for poor economic performance. 47) According to the theory of bureaucratic behavior, the objective of bureaucracy is  to maximize its own welfare, meaning that it seeks additional power and prestige. 48) According to the theory of bureaucratic behavior,  the objective of a bureaucracy is to maximize its own welfare, meaning that it seeks additional power and prestige.  the bureaucracy will fight vigorously to preserve its autonomy; thus, it will attempt to avoid conflict with the president and Congress.  the bureaucracy will support legislation that gives it additional regulatory power. 49) The theory of bureaucratic behavior when applied to the Fed helps to explain why the Fed  resists so vigorously congressional attempts to limit the central bank's autonomy.  is secretive about the conduct of future monetary policy. 50) The theory of bureaucratic behavior when applied to the Fed helps to explain why the Fed  is secretive about the conduct of future monetary policy. 51) The strongest argument for an independent Federal Reserve rests on the view that subjecting the Fed to more political pressures would impart  an inflationary bias to monetary policy. 52) Politicians in a democratic society may be shortsighted because of their desire to win reelection; thus, the political process can  impart an inflationary bias to monetary policy.  generate a political business cycle in which, just before an election, expansionary policies are pursued to lower unemployment and interest rates. 53) The case for Federal Reserve independence includes the idea that  political pressure would impart an inflationary bias to monetary policy.  a politically insulated Fed would be more concerned with long-run objectives and thus be a defender of a sound dollar and a stable price level.  a Federal Reserve under the control of Congress or the president might make the so-called political business cycle more pronounced. 54) The case for Federal Reserve independence includes the idea that  a politically insulated Fed would be more concerned with long-run objectives and thus be a defender of a sound dollar and a stable price level.  a Federal Reserve under the control of Congress or the president might make the so-called political business cycle more pronounced. 55) The case for Federal Reserve independence does not include the idea that  policy is always performed better by an elite group such as the Fed. 56) The case for Federal Reserve independence does not include the idea that  the principal-agent problem is perhaps worse for the Fed than for congressmen since the former does not answer to the voters on election day. 57) Advocates of Fed independence fear that subjecting the Fed to direct presidential or congressional control would  impart an inflationary bias to monetary policy.  force monetary authorities to sacrifice the long-run objective of price stability.  make the so-called political business cycle even more pronounced. 58) Advocates of Fed independence fear that subjecting the Fed to direct presidential or congressional control would  impart an inflationary bias to monetary policy.  force monetary authorities to sacrifice the long-run objective of price stability. 59) Supporters of the current system of Fed independence believe that a less autonomous Fed would  pursue overly expansionary monetary policies.  be more likely to create a political business cycle. 60) Critics of the current system of Fed independence contend that  the current system is undemocratic. 61) Critics of Fed independence argue  that it is undemocratic to have monetary policy controlled by an elite group responsible to no one. 62) Critics of Fed independence argue  that it is undemocratic to have monetary policy controlled by an elite group responsible to no one.  that independence seemingly does little to guarantee good monetary policy.  that its independence may encourage the Fed to pursue a course of narrow self-interest rather than the public interest. 63) Instrument independence means the central bank is free from  political pressure regarding how it uses the tools of monetary policy. 64) Suppose legislation requiring the Fed to keep the inflation rate between 1.5% and 2.5% per year is passed by Congress. This law restricts the Fed's  goal independence. 65) Cross-country evidence suggests that an increase in central bank independence results in a ________ inflation rate and ________ unemployment.  lower; no worse 66) The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System  appoint three directors to each Federal Reserve Bank. 67) The Federal Advisory Council has ________ member(s) from each district.  one 68) The three largest Federal Reserve banks in terms of assets are those of New York, Chicago, and  San Francisco. 69) The directors of a district bank are classified into three categories: A, B, and C. The three B directors are  prominent leaders from industry, labor, agriculture, or the consumer sector. 70) The 12 Federal Reserve banks are involved in monetary policy in which of the following ways?  Their directors establish the discount rate.  They decide which banks can obtain discount loans from the Federal Reserve Bank.  Their directors select one commercial banker from each bank's district to serve on the Federal Advisory Council. 71) The ________ of the Board of Governors is the spokesperson for the Fed.  chairman 72) Currently, there are ________ countries that are members of the European Monetary Union.  17 1) The unusual structure of the Federal Reserve System is best explained by Americans' fear of centralized power. * TRUE 2) Rapid money supply growth and uncontrollable inflation were among the factors which motivated the creation of the Federal Reserve System. * FALSE 3) The Washington, D.C. Fed bank, with over 30 percent of the system's assets, is the most important Federal Reserve Bank. * FALSE 4) The FOMC is an element of the Federal Reserve System. * TRUE 5) All nationally chartered banks are required to be members of the Fed. * TRUE 6) Each member of the seven-member Board is appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate to serve 14-year terms. * TRUE 7) The Board of Governors sets reserve requirements. * TRUE 8) Monetary policy is set by the Board of Governors. * FALSE 9) Federal Reserve monetary policy decisions must be approved by the Secretary of the Treasury before they may be implemented. * FALSE 10) The FOMC issues directives to the trading desk at the New York Fed. * TRUE 11) Critics of the current system of Fed independence contend that the president has too much control over monetary policy on a day-to-day basis. * FALSE 12) Countries with more independent central banks have lower inflation rates, but these have come at the expense of greater output fluctuations. * FALSE 13) Announcing the FOMC's policy decision immediately after the FOMC meeting is an example of how Fed policymaking has become more transparent. * TRUE 14) The Fed has goal independence but not instrument independence. * FALSE 15) The Federal Reserve banks act as liaisons between the business community and the Federal Reserve System. * TRUE 16) The FOMC does not actually carry out securities purchases or sales. * TRUE 17) In the ECB, the Governing Council has the right to vote, and this right is taken very seriously, with all important matters decided by a majority vote. * FALSE