Question

Suppose that you are a member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. The economy is experiencing a sharp rise in the inflation rate. What change in the Federal funds rate would you recommend? How would your recommended change get accomplished? What impact would the actions have on the lending ability of the banking system, the real interest rate, investment spending, aggregate demand, and inflation?

Answer 1

As a member of the Federal Reserve Board, in an inflationary situation I would suggest a change in the federal funds rate that would be accomplished by raising the base interest rate of the US economy. This would make bonds more attractive and people would stop consuming to invest in public debt securities. In addition, raising interest rates would discourage credit, causing banks to lend less. Since inflation is a monetary phenomenon caused by the excess of currency in circulation, these measures would have a downward effect on inflation, as they reduce the amount of money in circulation in the economy.