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The relationship between the federal funds rate and the Fed's federal funds rate target : is it open market or open mouth operations?

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Author Info
Thornton, Daniel L.

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Abstract

It is widely believed that the Fed controls the funds rate by altering the degree of pressure in the reserve market through open market operations when it changes its target for the federal funds rate. Recently, however, several economists have suggested that open market operations may not be necessary for controlling the funds rate. Rather, they suggest that the Fed controls the funds rate through open mouth operations. The Fed merely indicates its desire to change the funds rate and the market does the rest. This paper investigates the extent to which the close relationship between the federal funds rate and the federal funds rate target is due to open market or open mouth operations. Finding little evidence to support either the open-market or open-mouth hypothesis, the possibility that the Fed adjusts its funds rate target directly in response to changes in the market interest rate is briefly considered. -- Es herrscht die weitverbreitete Ansicht, dass die Fed den Zielzinssatz für Tagesgeld (Funds Rate) steuert, indem sie bei einer Änderung ihres Ziels für den Federal Funds Satz den Druck am Geld-Markt über Offenmarktgeschäfte erhöht oder vermindert. Mehrere Ökonomen äußerten allerdings in letzter Zeit die Ansicht, dass Offenmarktgeschäfte zur Steuerung der Funds Rate nicht erforderlich seien und die Fed vielmehr ihren Leitzins über eine Politik des ?Offenen Mundes? steuern sollte. Dabei würde von der Fed lediglich angedeutet, dass sie eine Änderung des Leitzinses wünsche, und der Rest werde vom Markt selbst erledigt. Diese Arbeit untersucht, inwieweit die enge Wechselbeziehung zwischen der Federal Funds Rate und ihrem Zielwert auf Offenmarkt- bzw. ?Offenmund?- Operationen zurückzuführen ist. Nachdem sich allerdings nur wenig Belege finden, mit denen sich die Offenmarkt- oder die ?Offenmund?-Hypothese untermauern ließe, wird kurz auf die Möglichkeit einer Anpassung des Zielwertes als Reaktion der Fed auf Veränderungen der Marktzinssätze eingegangen.

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Publisher Info
Paper provided by Deutsche Bundesbank, Research Centre in its series Discussion Paper Series 1: Economic Studies with number 2000,09.

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Date of creation: 2000
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Handle: RePEc:zbw:bubdp1:4145

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Related research
Keywords: Federal funds rate target; monetary policy; open market operations; open mouth operations;

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
E52 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Monetary Policy
E40 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Money and Interest Rates - - - General

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Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:

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Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Cysne, Rubens Penha, 2005. "What Happens After the Central Bank of Brazil Increases the Target Interbank Rate by 1%?," Economics Working Papers (Ensaios Economicos da EPGE) 584, Graduate School of Economics, Getulio Vargas Foundation (Brazil). [Downloadable!]
  2. Paolo Angelini, 2002. "Liquidity and Announcement Effects in the Euro Area," Temi di discussione (Economic working papers) 451, Bank of Italy, Economic Research Department. [Downloadable!]
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