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Should the Federal Reserve Pay Competitive Interest on Reserves?

Author

Listed:
  • MATTHEW CANZONERI
  • ROBERT CUMBY
  • BEHZAD DIBA

Abstract

In 2008, the Federal Reserve began paying interest on reserves. How should the Fed use this new policy instrument? As the Fed reduces its balance sheet, should it continue to satiate reserve demand and pay competitive interest on reserves? Here, we argue that this may be an inefficient use of the new policy instrument. Using a standard Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium model (DSGE), augmented to include a banking sector and an interbank market, our benchmark calibration implies an optimal tax on reserves of about 20 to 40 basis points in the steady state, and a fluctuating tax rate in response to shocks.

Suggested Citation

  • Matthew Canzoneri & Robert Cumby & Behzad Diba, 2017. "Should the Federal Reserve Pay Competitive Interest on Reserves?," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 49(4), pages 663-693, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:jmoncb:v:49:y:2017:i:4:p:663-693
    DOI: 10.1111/jmcb.12394
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Dutkowsky, Donald H. & VanHoose, David D., 2020. "Equal treatment under the Fed: Interest on reserves, the federal funds rate, and the ‘Third Regime’ of bank behavior," Journal of Economics and Business, Elsevier, vol. 107(C).
    2. Gianluca Benigno & Pierpaolo Benigno, 2022. "Managing Monetary Policy Normalization," Staff Reports 1015, Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
    3. Matthew Canzoneri & Robert Cumby & Behzad Diba & Yunsang Kim, 2021. "Did the Unconventional Monetary Policy of the U.S. Hurt Emerging Markets?," Open Economies Review, Springer, vol. 32(2), pages 231-257, April.
    4. Benigno, Pierpaolo & Benigno, Gianluca, 2021. "Interest, Reserves and Prices," CEPR Discussion Papers 16222, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    5. Dutkowsky, Donald H. & VanHoose, David D., 2018. "Interest on reserves and Federal Reserve unwinding," Journal of Economics and Business, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 28-38.
    6. Michael Boutros & Jonathan Witmer, 2020. "Monetary Policy Implementation in a Negative Rate Environment," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 52(2-3), pages 441-470, March.
    7. Kumhof, Michael & Salgado-Moreno, Mauricio, 2024. "Quantitative Easing and Quantitative Tightening: The Money Channel," CEPR Discussion Papers 19228, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    8. Dutkowsky, Donald H. & VanHoose, David D., 2018. "Breaking up isn’t hard to do: Interest on reserves and monetary policy," Journal of Economics and Business, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 15-27.

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