The Federal Reserve works to promote a strong U.S. economy. Specifically, the Congress has assigned the Fed to conduct the nation’s monetary policy to support the goals of maximum employment, stable prices, and moderate long-term interest rates.

Monetary policy impacts the money supply in an economy, which influences interest rates and the inflation rate. It also impacts business expansion, net exports, employment, the cost of debt, and the relative cost of consumption versus saving—all of which directly or indirectly impact aggregate demand.

The Fed implements monetary policy primarily by influencing the federal funds rate, the interest rate that financial institutions charge each other for loans in the overnight market for reserves. Fed monetary policy actions, described below, affect the level of the federal funds rate.

Our two goals of price stability and maximum sustainable employment are known collectively as the “dual mandate.”1 The Federal Reserve’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC),2 which sets U.S. monetary policy, has translated these broad concepts into specific longer-run goals and strategies.

As noted above, the Fed’s actions revolve around controlling monetary policy, or the overall supply of money within the economy. In rudimentary form, increasing the money supply can spur economic growth, but it can also lead to inflation, or the rising of prices that consumers like you and I pay for goods and services.

It is not a goal of the Federal Reserve Bank to increase the stock market.

Purposes & Functions

• Overview of the Federal Reserve System.
• The Three Key System Entities.
• Conducting Monetary Policy.
• Promoting Financial System Stability.
• Supervising and Regulating Financial Institutions and Activities.
• Fostering Payment and Settlement System Safety and Efficiency.

The Federal Reserve Banks are not a part of the federal government, but they exist because of an act of Congress. While the Board of Governors is an independent government agency, the Federal Reserve Banks are set up like private corporations. Member banks hold stock in the Federal Reserve Banks and earn dividends.

Although an instrument of the US 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 anyone else in the executive or legislative branches of government, it does not receive funding appropriated by …

The U.S. Treasury is best known for printing money (literally) and offering economic advice to the President. The Federal Reserve is the U.S. central bank, ensuring lenders and borrowers have access to credit and loans.

As the bank for the U.S. government, Reserve Banks handle the Treasury’s payments, sell government securities and assist with the Treasury’s cash management and investment activities. Reserve Banks conduct research on regional, national and international economic issues.

Most of the money in use is not cash. It’s credit that’s added to banks’ deposits. It’s similar to the kind of credit you receive when your employer deposits your paycheck directly into your bank account. When people say the Federal Reserve “prints money,” they mean it’s adding credit to its member banks’ deposits.

In simplest terms, as Modern Monetary Theory economists assert, perhaps the Fed can “print money” forever. Well, unless China can demonstrate it has the technological know-how, political will and economic strength to threaten the U.S. dollar as the global reserve currency, of course.