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The Scope of Monetary Policy Actions Authorized Under the Federal Reserve Act

Author

Listed:
  • Small David H.

    (Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System)

  • Clouse James

    (Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System)

Abstract

The Federal Reserve Act authorizes the Federal Reserve to undertake various types of discount window loans and open market operations. While the Federal Reserve generally has not found it necessary to use all types of such authority, there could be circumstances in which the Federal Reserve might need to consider utilizing its statutory authority more broadly than it has in the past.We examine the limits imposed by the Federal Reserve Act along two dimensions: those types of counterparties and financial instruments with which the Federal Reserve may conduct monetary policy. In doing so, we develop a theme not commonly pursued in the literature -- the ways and extent to which the Federal Reserve Act limits the Federal Reserve from taking credit risk onto its balance sheet.We also provide some historical perspective on how the current powers of the Federal Reserve came to be authorized.

Suggested Citation

  • Small David H. & Clouse James, 2005. "The Scope of Monetary Policy Actions Authorized Under the Federal Reserve Act," The B.E. Journal of Macroeconomics, De Gruyter, vol. 5(1), pages 1-43, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:bpj:bejmac:v:topics.5:y:2005:i:1:n:6
    DOI: 10.2202/1534-5998.1255
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Olivier Jeanne & Lars E. O. Svensson, 2007. "Credible Commitment to Optimal Escape from a Liquidity Trap: The Role of the Balance Sheet of an Independent Central Bank," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 97(1), pages 474-490, March.
    2. Clouse James & Henderson Dale & Orphanides Athanasios & Small David H. & Tinsley P.A., 2003. "Monetary Policy When the Nominal Short-Term Interest Rate is Zero," The B.E. Journal of Macroeconomics, De Gruyter, vol. 3(1), pages 1-65, September.
    3. James A. Clouse, 1994. "Recent developments in discount window policy," Federal Reserve Bulletin, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.), issue Nov, pages 965-977.
    4. Hideaki Hirata & Tokiko Shimizu, "undated". "Purchase of SME-related ABS by the Bank of Japan: Monetary Policy and SME Financing in Japan," Working Paper 164521, Harvard University OpenScholar.
    5. Hideaki Hirata & Tokiko Shimizu, 2004. "Purchase of SME-related ABS by the Bank of Japan (Updated): Monetary Policy and SME financing in Japan," Bank of Japan Working Paper Series 04-E-1, Bank of Japan.
    6. Peter A. Tinsley, 1998. "Short rate expectations, term premiums, and central bank use of derivatives to reduce policy uncertainty," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 1999-14, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
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    8. Dwight Jaffee, 2003. "The Interest Rate Risk of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac," Journal of Financial Services Research, Springer;Western Finance Association, vol. 24(1), pages 5-29, August.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Fernando M. Duarte & Benjamin K. Johannsen & Leonardo Melosi & Taisuke Nakata, 2020. "Strengthening the FOMC’s Framework in View of the Effective Lower Bound and Some Considerations Related to Time-Inconsistent Strategies," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 2020-067, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
    3. Mark A. Carlson & Burcu Duygan-Bump, 2018. "“Unconventional” Monetary Policy as Conventional Monetary Policy : A Perspective from the U.S. in the 1920s," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 2018-019, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
    4. O'Hara, Maureen & Zhou, Xing (Alex), 2021. "Anatomy of a liquidity crisis: Corporate bonds in the COVID-19 crisis," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 142(1), pages 46-68.
    5. Daniel L. Thornton, 2009. "The Fed, liquidity, and credit allocation," Review, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, vol. 91(Jan), pages 13-22.
    6. Selgin, George & Lastrapes, William D. & White, Lawrence H., 2012. "Has the Fed been a failure?," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 34(3), pages 569-596.

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