Toward the end of 2008, the recession deepened with
the prospect of a substantial monetary policy funds
rate shortfall. In response, the Fed expanded its balance
sheet policies in order to lower the cost and
improve the availability of credit to households and
businesses. One key element of this expansion involves
buying long-term securities in the open market.
The idea is that, even if the funds rate and other
short-term interest rates fall to the zero lower bound,
there may be considerable scope to lower long-term
interest rates.The FOMC has approved the purchase
of longer-termTreasury securities and the debt and
mortgage-backed securities issued by governmentsponsored
enterprises.These initiatives have helped
reduce the cost of long-term borrowing for households
and businesses, especially by lowering mortgage
rates for home purchases and refinancing.
In terms of overall size, the Fed’s balance sheet has
more than doubled to just over $2 trillion.However,
this increase has likely only partially offset the funds
rate shortfall, and the FOMC has committed to
further balance sheet expansion by the end of this
year. Looking ahead even further over the next few
years, the size and persistence of the monetary policy
shortfall suggest that the Fed’s balance sheet will only
slowly return to its pre-crisis level.This gradual transition
should be fairly straightforward, as most new
assets acquired by the Fed are either marketable securities
or loans with maturities of 90 days or less.
Still, any economic forecast is subject to considerable
uncertainty. Some outside forecasters have warned
of a deeper and more protracted recession, in which
case, the monetary policy funds rate shortfall and
the balance sheet expansion would be even larger
and more persistent. In contrast, other analysts have
argued that the Fed’s growing balance sheet will lead
to a resurgence of inflation (despite Japan’s recent
historical experience to the contrary of an increasing
central bank balance sheet and falling inflation).With
much higher inflation, the policy shortfall would be
reduced and the Fed would need to shrink the size
of its balance sheet and raise the funds rate earlier
than suggested by Figure 2. Still, the Fed’s short-term
loans can be unwound quickly, and its portfolio of
securities can be readily sold into the open market,
so there should be ample time to normalize monetary
policy when needed. Finally, some economists
have cautioned about reading too much into policy
shortfall projections (and negative funds rate recommendations recommendations)
that rely on uncertain estimates of
the degree of economic slack. Such considerations
are always important for real-time policymaking
(Rudebusch 2001, 2006), but the degree of uncertainty
regarding estimates of the natural, or normal,
rate of unemployment over the past two decades pales
in size relative to the depth of the ongoing recession.
Summary
The Federal Reserve is employing all available tools
to promote economic recovery and price stability
by lowering borrowing costs and boosting credit
availability. In particular, after lowering the federal
funds rate to essentially zero, the Fed has turned to
unconventional policy tools to help accomplish its
goals. Eventually, as the economy recovers, it will
be appropriate for the Fed to reduce the size of its
balance sheet toward pre-crisis levels and to raise
the funds rate, and the Fed has both the means and
the determination to do so.
Toward the end of 2008, the recession deepened with
the prospect of a substantial monetary policy funds
rate shortfall. In response, the Fed expanded its balance
sheet policies in order to lower the cost and
improve the availability of credit to households and
businesses. One key element of this expansion involves
buying long-term securities in the open market.
The idea is that, even if the funds rate and other
short-term interest rates fall to the zero lower bound,
there may be considerable scope to lower long-term
interest rates.The FOMC has approved the purchase
of longer-termTreasury securities and the debt and
mortgage-backed securities issued by governmentsponsored
enterprises.These initiatives have helped
reduce the cost of long-term borrowing for households
and businesses, especially by lowering mortgage
rates for home purchases and refinancing.
In terms of overall size, the Fed’s balance sheet has
more than doubled to just over $2 trillion.However,
this increase has likely only partially offset the funds
rate shortfall, and the FOMC has committed to
further balance sheet expansion by the end of this
year. Looking ahead even further over the next few
years, the size and persistence of the monetary policy
shortfall suggest that the Fed’s balance sheet will only
slowly return to its pre-crisis level.This gradual transition
should be fairly straightforward, as most new
assets acquired by the Fed are either marketable securities
or loans with maturities of 90 days or less.
Still, any economic forecast is subject to considerable
uncertainty. Some outside forecasters have warned
of a deeper and more protracted recession, in which
case, the monetary policy funds rate shortfall and
the balance sheet expansion would be even larger
and more persistent. In contrast, other analysts have
argued that the Fed’s growing balance sheet will lead
to a resurgence of inflation (despite Japan’s recent
historical experience to the contrary of an increasing
central bank balance sheet and falling inflation).With
much higher inflation, the policy shortfall would be
reduced and the Fed would need to shrink the size
of its balance sheet and raise the funds rate earlier
than suggested by Figure 2. Still, the Fed’s short-term
loans can be unwound quickly, and its portfolio of
securities can be readily sold into the open market,
so there should be ample time to normalize monetary
policy when needed. Finally, some economists
have cautioned about reading too much into policy
shortfall projections (and negative funds rate recommendations recommendations)
that rely on uncertain estimates of
the degree of economic slack. Such considerations
are always important for real-time policymaking
(Rudebusch 2001, 2006), but the degree of uncertainty
regarding estimates of the natural, or normal,
rate of unemployment over the past two decades pales
in size relative to the depth of the ongoing recession.
Summary
The Federal Reserve is employing all available tools
to promote economic recovery and price stability
by lowering borrowing costs and boosting credit
availability. In particular, after lowering the federal
funds rate to essentially zero, the Fed has turned to
unconventional policy tools to help accomplish its
goals. Eventually, as the economy recovers, it will
be appropriate for the Fed to reduce the size of its
balance sheet toward pre-crisis levels and to raise
the funds rate, and the Fed has both the means and
the determination to do so.
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