With so much money changing hands electronically now, all they have to do is say "Make it so". They actually didn't need the bailout money either, it could have been done without increasing the debt of the government, and it's interesting to note that the BANKS have gotten that money and are hanging on to it.
By cutting off the money supply, the Fed responds by taking more money into its base and stopping the printing of money. In addition to these strategies, people are encouraged to start saving by increasing the return on bonds, CDs, and savings account rates. When people spend less and save more, the inflation in the country's currency can become stable once again, and prices will return to the most profitable and ideal rate, thus regulating the system.
open market operations: purchases and sales of U.S. Treasury and federal agency securities-the Federal Reserve's principal tool for implementing monetary policy. The Federal Reserve's objective for open market operations has varied over the years. During the 1980s, the focus gradually shifted toward attaining a specified level of the federal funds rate (the rate that banks charge each other for overnight loans of federal funds, which are the reserves held by banks at the Fed), a process that was largely complete by the end of the decade. Discount rate: interest rate charged to commercial banks and other depository institutions on loans they receive from their regional Federal Reserve Bank's lending facility--the discount window... reserve requirements: the amount of funds that a depository institution must hold in reserve against specified deposit liabilities
The Government has no control over the money supply, only the loanable funds market. The only way the government can effect the economy is to change its spending, or change taxes. The Federal Reserve (not apart of the government) controls the money supply. It can buy/sell treasuries, raise/lower discount rate, as well as the reserve requirement in banks.
They buy bonds from investors, thereby putting more money into the supply.
They sell bonds to investors, thereby drawing money out of the supply
They can adjust the reserve requirements to change the money multiplier. This is a slowish process.
They adjust the overnight loan rate to make it cheaper or costlier to violate reserve requirements.
The federal reserve decides what interest rates will be. If they decide interest rates should be low (which they usually do when the economy is suffering), people will buy more and the economy will flourish. If they decide interest rates should be high (which they usually do when inflation is high), people will buy less and money is not as available as it was. The federal reserve also decides what the reserve rates will be. Reserve is how much money a bank must keep in the bank and not lend out to people. They can lower it and money will become more available to be lent by people and eventually spent on the economy. They can higher it and more money must remain in the bank, therefore not as much loans are being handed out and spent on the economy. As you can see, people rightfully claim that the Federal Reserve system's chairmen are the most powerful people in the country, besides the president.
While the above answer explains some of the Fed's job, it doesn't answer the question, the Fed can increase or decrease the money supply by conducting open market operations, in which they buy (increase money supply) bonds from the public, or sell (decrease money supply).
The Federal Reserve is responsible for managing the money supply in the U.S.
The Federal Reserve wants to affect the money supply because the amount of money on the street at any given time affects the overall value of the individual dollar.
The economy of a country is affected by an infinite number of factors.
buy securities on the open market.
Money supply
The Federal Reserve is responsible for managing the money supply in the U.S.
The Federal Reserve wants to affect the money supply because the amount of money on the street at any given time affects the overall value of the individual dollar.
The economy of a country is affected by an infinite number of factors.
The Federal Reserve Bank manages the U.S. economy by controlling the money supply.
It is true that when the Federal Reserve decreases the money supply it generally does by selling bonds. When the Federal Reserve sells bonds it pushes prices down and increases rates.
buy securities on the open market.
Federal Reserve Bank
Money supply
The 3 purposes of the pen market purchase account maintained by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York are to implement the U.S. monetary policy, to influence the supply of reserve balances, and to reinvest the proceeds of maturing securities.
Federal reserve
For regulating the nations money supply
The Federal Reserve