Articles for Financial Advisors

The Federal Reserve

The Federal Reserve

As defined by the Federal Reserve Act of 1913, the mission of the Fed is to “maintain long-run growth of the monetary and credit commensurate with the economy’s long run potential to increase production, so as to promote effectively the goals of maximum employment, stable prices and moderate long-term interest rates.” In other words, the Fed needs to keep inflation low and ensure resources are used to their full capacity.

 

The Fed has greatly expanded the quantity and quality of information it now delivers to the public. Several years ago, the Fed never announced its monetary policy decisions; markets would guess what was decided by the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC). During the last several years, Fed Chairperson Bernanke has doubled the number of the Fed’s annual economic forecasts to four.

 

The FOMC still meets ~ 8 times a year; 19 attend the meetings but only 12 are entitled to vote on monetary policy, the 7 members of the Board of Governors, and 5 representatives from the regional Federal Reserve banks. By tradition, most decisions are unanimous. Minutes are published three weeks after the meeting. Although monetary policy is set by the FOMC; it is implemented by forward-looking financial markets. Since markets discount the Fed’s reaction to economic data, in effect, it is validating previous market moves.

 

Decentralization and collegial decision-making are important Fed advantages. Fed minutes’ reflect genuine debate at the committee and highlight concerns of individual members. In fact, whenever issues arise that may eventually lead to policy changes, markets do not get blindsided because they can see in advance what somebody on the FOMC is thinking. Unlike Greenspan, Bernanke has been working to depersonalize decision-making at the FOMC and to bring collegial aspects more to the fore.

 

 

Monetary Tools

As the nation’s central bank, the Fed has three primary monetary tools:
 
  1. Open-Market Operations—The Fed’s most frequently used tool involves the purchase or sale of government securities (normally T-bills) in an effort to fine-tune money supply growth. When the Fed buys T-bills, it simply writes a check, thereby boosting the money supply. Conversely, if the Fed wants to pursue a tight money policy, it steps up its sales of T-bills. Proceeds from the sales of T-bills enter the central bank’s account and reduce its money supply. This process is sometimes referred to as “quantitative easing.”
  2. Changes in Key Short-Term Interest Rates—The most visible aspect of monetary policy is a Fed decision to raise or lower rates. In this manner, the central bank signals its intentions about interest rates. The rates in question include the discount rate, which is what the Fed charges banks for overnight loans to build up their reserves, and the federal funds rate, the rate banks borrow short-term from each other.
  3. Setting Reserve Requirements for Banks—The Fed can change the amount of total deposits banks must keep idle in reserve. Lowering requirements allows banks to loan a greater percentage of their total deposits to customers, thereby expanding money supply. Small changes in this ratio can have a dramatic impact on the money supply; the Fed rarely uses this tool.

 

 

By influencing monetary policy and interest rates, the 12-member Federal Open Market Committee, of which the chairman plays a dominant role, can exert a dramatic impact on the economy and the markets. The Fed can apply the monetary brakes as a preemptive strike against inflation by: (1) stepping up sales of government securities in its day-to-day, open-market operations, taking money out of circulation, or (2) boosting short-term interest rates by increasing the discount rate, and possibly, the federal funds rate. Because these rates set the tone for the whole economy, the Fed’s actions reverberate throughout the financial markets. In this case, either of these two actions would lead to higher interest rates, falling bond, and (possibly falling) stock prices.
 
Investors often react to news they feel will prompt the Fed to raise rates. Unusually strong employment numbers may cause havoc in the bond market, driving up the benchmark 10-year T-bond yield. The stock market often reacts with a sizable drop as jittery traders quickly exit. But long-term investors should not worry about this frenzied activity; corrections can present buying opportunities.
 
 

Arousing a Sleeping Economy

Conversely, if the economy is slumbering in a recession and needs a shot in the arm, the Fed will pursue an easy-money policy and pump reserves into the banking system. It can purchase government securities in its open-market operations and reduce the federal funds and discount rates, thereby stimulating credit, employment, and economic activity. Falling interest rates can do wonders for the stock and bond markets. Such a scenario unleashed the roaring bull market that began in 1982. In that year, the Fed finally succeeded in pushing inflation down from double digits to a single-digit figure. In general, stable, not excessive, real growth remains the Fed’s top priority.
 
Even though rates are hard to forecast, it pays to keep abreast of Fed activities. This will provide valuable insight into the reasons for recent behavior of stock and bond markets. Fed watchers hold that several consecutive increases (or decreases) in the discount rate can reverse a bull (or bear) market. This has led to indicators such as the bearish “three steps and a stumble” rule. The theory is when the central bank increases the discount rate three times in a row, stock prices tend to falter, although the relationship does not always hold.
 
 
 

Previous Post
Total Return For Bonds

For Advisors by Advisors. Browse all Programs.