Actions of The Fed at Full Employment
in Long Run Equilibrium
The United States economy is currently producing at a level of full
employment in long-run equilibrium. The government then decides to
increase taxes and to reduce government spending in an effort to balance
the budget. The results of the actions taken by the government is the
decrease of real GDP. When taxes are increased that the amount of
disposable income that is available to consumers is lowered. This
lowered level of disposable income leads to a decrease in consumption
spending as well as a decrease in savings. This decrease in consumer and
government spending causes the total spending to decrease by a
multiplied amount, As a result of the decrease in total spending the
aggregate demand decreases and the aggregate demand curve shifts to the
left.
This decrease in consumer and government
spending also causes businesses to have a surplus of inventories. At
this point the output is greater than spending and as a result prices
begin to fall. Because of the surplus of goods and falling prices
consumption becomes more desirable to consumers and the level of
consumer spending rises. The fall in prices causes business to become
less profitable and producers decrease the level of production. This
results in the decrease of the aggregate quantity supplied to decrease.
This continues until aggregate quantity demanded equal the aggregate
quantity supplied and a period of short-run equilibrium is established.
The real GDP and the price level have both decreased from the original
long-run equilibrium level and the economy is operating under the full
employment level. At this point the U.S. economy is at a recessionary
gap and a monetary policy must be used to pull the economy from the
current recession.
There are three options that the Federal Reserve has to try and end the
current recession. The federal funds rate could be lowered, the discount
to banks could be lowered, or open market operations could be used. The
most effective of these three options is the use of expansionary
monetary policy through open market operations. The first step in this
option is for the Federal Reserve to start to purchase bonds from
consumers. As the Federal Reserve begins to buy these bonds back the
bond prices are increased to make the selling of these bonds more
attractive to consumers. When the Federal Reserve purchases a bond from
a consumer a check is issued to the seller for the agreed price. This
higher bond prices also lowers interest rates. The seller then deposits
this check into his/her bank. This action increases deposits in the
bank, which in turn raises the banks reserves to increase. The required
reserves are increased by the amount of the check times the required
reserve ratio, and excess reserves increase by the difference between
the check and the amount of the required reserves. Because the excess
reserves of the bank have increased, the bank is now able to loan out
more money. The bank will continue to make new loans until it is loaned
out. The lower interest rates that are caused by the higher bond prices
encourages more consumers to borrow money. This increase in the amount
of loans causes a raise in the money supply by a multiplied effect.
Because of the increased desire to loan money by banks and the increased
desire to borrow money by consumers companies receive more loans which
is used for investment. This rise in loans that are used for investment
increases investment spending. This increase in investment spending
causes the total spending to increase by a multiplied effect. This
increase in total spending then causes an increase in aggregate demand
which causes the aggregate demand cure to shift to the right. Spending
is now greater than output. As a result of spending being greater than
output many suppliers and manufacturers expand production of their
goods. Prices will also increase because production costs rise as well.
The increase in production causes a increase in the level of aggregate
quantity demand supplied to consumers is increased. The increase of
prices makes the value of money and wealth decrease. Because of this
decrease consumption becomes less desirable by consumers and the
aggregate quantity demand decreases. Another result of this increase in
prices is the decrease of exports because the higher prices make U.S.
products less desirable. Consumption and net exports are now decreasing.
The level of aggregate quantity supplied continues to rise and the level
of aggregate quantity demanded continues to fall until aggregate
quantity demanded and aggregate quantity supplied are equal. This causes
the U.S. economy to enter a state of long-run equilibrium at full
employment. This new level of equilibrium should be very similar to the
original long-run equilibrium. The total real GDP has not been affected.
Government spending and consumption have both decreased. Investment
spending has risen because of the new lower interest rates. Because of
this real GDP is not effected in the long run.
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