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Federal Reserve: Difference between revisions
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The [[Federal Open Market Committee]] (FOMC) sets monetary policy by adjusting the target for the [[federal funds rate]], which generally influences [[market interest rate]]s and, in turn, US economic activity via the monetary transmission mechanism. The FOMC consists of all seven members of the board of governors and the twelve regional Federal Reserve Bank presidents, though only five bank presidents vote at a time—the president of the [[Federal Reserve Bank of New York|New York Fed]] and four others who rotate through one-year voting terms. There are also various advisory councils.{{Refn|group=list|name=pubpriv|<ref name="who_owns_faq">{{Cite web |title=FAQ – Who owns the Federal Reserve? |url=http://www.federalreserve.gov/faqs/about_14986.htm |access-date=December 1, 2015 |publisher=Federal Reserve website}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Lapidos |first=Juliet |date=September 19, 2008 |title=Is the Fed Private or Public? |url=http://www.slate.com/id/2200411 |magazine=Slate |access-date=August 29, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Toma |first=Mark |date=February 1, 2010 |title=Federal Reserve System |url=http://eh.net/encyclopedia/article/toma.reserve |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110513022656/http://eh.net/encyclopedia/article/toma.reserve |archive-date=May 13, 2011 |access-date=February 27, 2011 |website=EH. Net Encyclopedia |publisher=Economic History Association }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Federal Reserve System |url=https://eh.net/encyclopedia/federal-reserve-system |website=eh.net}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=March 31, 2008 |title=Who owns the Federal Reserve Bank? |url=http://www.factcheck.org/2008/03/federal-reserve-bank-ownership |access-date=February 26, 2014 |website=FactCheck}}</ref>}} It has a structure unique among central banks, and is also unusual in that the [[United States Department of the Treasury]], an entity outside of the central bank, prints the [[currency]] used.<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 24, 2011 |title=Coins and Currency |url=http://www.treas.gov/topics/currency |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101203122230/http://www.treas.gov/topics/currency |archive-date=December 3, 2010 |access-date=August 29, 2011 |website=US Dept of Treasury website }}</ref> | The [[Federal Open Market Committee]] (FOMC) sets monetary policy by adjusting the target for the [[federal funds rate]], which generally influences [[market interest rate]]s and, in turn, US economic activity via the monetary transmission mechanism. The FOMC consists of all seven members of the board of governors and the twelve regional Federal Reserve Bank presidents, though only five bank presidents vote at a time—the president of the [[Federal Reserve Bank of New York|New York Fed]] and four others who rotate through one-year voting terms. There are also various advisory councils.{{Refn|group=list|name=pubpriv|<ref name="who_owns_faq">{{Cite web |title=FAQ – Who owns the Federal Reserve? |url=http://www.federalreserve.gov/faqs/about_14986.htm |access-date=December 1, 2015 |publisher=Federal Reserve website}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Lapidos |first=Juliet |date=September 19, 2008 |title=Is the Fed Private or Public? |url=http://www.slate.com/id/2200411 |magazine=Slate |access-date=August 29, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Toma |first=Mark |date=February 1, 2010 |title=Federal Reserve System |url=http://eh.net/encyclopedia/article/toma.reserve |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110513022656/http://eh.net/encyclopedia/article/toma.reserve |archive-date=May 13, 2011 |access-date=February 27, 2011 |website=EH. Net Encyclopedia |publisher=Economic History Association }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Federal Reserve System |url=https://eh.net/encyclopedia/federal-reserve-system |website=eh.net}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=March 31, 2008 |title=Who owns the Federal Reserve Bank? |url=http://www.factcheck.org/2008/03/federal-reserve-bank-ownership |access-date=February 26, 2014 |website=FactCheck}}</ref>}} It has a structure unique among central banks, and is also unusual in that the [[United States Department of the Treasury]], an entity outside of the central bank, prints the [[currency]] used.<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 24, 2011 |title=Coins and Currency |url=http://www.treas.gov/topics/currency |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101203122230/http://www.treas.gov/topics/currency |archive-date=December 3, 2010 |access-date=August 29, 2011 |website=US Dept of Treasury website }}</ref> | ||
The federal government sets the salaries of the board's seven governors, and it receives all the system's annual profits after dividends on member banks' capital investments are paid, and an account surplus is maintained. In 2015, the Federal Reserve earned a net income of $100.2 billion and transferred $97.7 billion to the U.S. Treasury,<ref name="frs bog net income press lease">{{Cite news |date=January 11, 2016 |title=Press Release – Federal Reserve Board announces Reserve Bank income and expense data and transfers to the Treasury for 2015 |work=Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System |url=http://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/press/other/20160111a.htm |access-date=March 12, 2016}}</ref> and 2020 earnings were approximately $88.6 billion with remittances to the U.S. Treasury of $86.9 billion.<ref>{{Cite web |last=<!--Not stated--> |date=March 22, 2021 |title=Press Release - Federal Reserve System publishes annual financial statements |url=https://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/pressreleases/other20210322a.htm |access-date=January 4, 2022 |website=www.federalreserve.gov |publisher=Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System}}</ref> Although an instrument of the U.S. government, the Federal Reserve System considers itself "an independent central bank because its monetary policy decisions do not have to be approved by the president or by anyone else in the executive or legislative branches of government, it does not receive funding appropriated by Congress, and the terms of the members of the board of governors span multiple presidential and congressional terms."<ref name="auto">{{Cite web |title=FAQ |url=http://www.federalreserve.gov/faqs/about_14986.htm |access-date=December 1, 2015 |website=Who Owns the Federal Reserve? |publisher=Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System | The federal government sets the salaries of the board's seven governors, and it receives all the system's annual profits after dividends on member banks' capital investments are paid, and an account surplus is maintained. In 2015, the Federal Reserve earned a net income of $100.2 billion and transferred $97.7 billion to the U.S. Treasury,<ref name="frs bog net income press lease">{{Cite news |date=January 11, 2016 |title=Press Release – Federal Reserve Board announces Reserve Bank income and expense data and transfers to the Treasury for 2015 |work=Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System |url=http://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/press/other/20160111a.htm |access-date=March 12, 2016}}</ref> and 2020 earnings were approximately $88.6 billion with remittances to the U.S. Treasury of $86.9 billion.<ref>{{Cite web |last=<!--Not stated--> |date=March 22, 2021 |title=Press Release - Federal Reserve System publishes annual financial statements |url=https://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/pressreleases/other20210322a.htm |access-date=January 4, 2022 |website=www.federalreserve.gov |publisher=Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System}}</ref> Although an instrument of the U.S. government, the Federal Reserve System considers itself "an independent central bank because its monetary policy decisions do not have to be approved by the president or by anyone else in the executive or legislative branches of government, it does not receive funding appropriated by Congress, and the terms of the members of the board of governors span multiple presidential and congressional terms."<ref name="auto">{{Cite web |title=FAQ |url=http://www.federalreserve.gov/faqs/about_14986.htm |access-date=December 1, 2015 |website=Who Owns the Federal Reserve? |publisher=Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System}}</ref> | ||
== Purpose == | == Purpose == | ||
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Current functions of the Federal Reserve System include:<ref name="mission"/><ref name="BoG 2006 pp=1"/> | Current functions of the Federal Reserve System include:<ref name="mission"/><ref name="BoG 2006 pp=1"/> | ||
* To address the problem of | * To address the problem of banking panics | ||
* To serve as the | * To serve as the central bank for the United States | ||
* To strike a balance between private interests of banks and the centralized responsibility of government | * To strike a balance between private interests of banks and the centralized responsibility of government | ||
** To supervise and regulate banking institutions | ** To supervise and regulate banking institutions | ||
** To protect the credit rights of consumers | ** To protect the credit rights of consumers | ||
* To conduct | * To conduct monetary policy by influencing market interest rates to achieve the sometimes-conflicting goals of | ||
** maximum employment | ** maximum employment | ||
** stable prices, interpreted as an [[inflation]] rate of 2 percent per year on average<ref name="goals of MP" /> | ** stable prices, interpreted as an [[inflation]] rate of 2 percent per year on average<ref name="goals of MP" /> | ||