KEY QUESTION In the accompanying table you will find consolidated balance sheets for the commercial banking system and the 12 Federal Reserve Banks. Use columns 1 through 3 to indicate how the balance sheets would read after each of transactions a to c is completed. Do not cumulate your answers; that is, analyze each transaction separately, starting in each case from the figures provided. All accounts are in billions of dollars.

a. A decline in the discount rate prompts commercial banks to borrow an additional $1 billion from the Federal Reserve Banks. Show the new balance-sheet figures in column 1 of each table.

b. The Federal Reserve Banks sell $3 billion in securities to members of the public, who pay for the bonds with checks. Show the new balance-sheet figures in column 2 of each table.

c. The Federal Reserve Banks buy $2 billion of securities from commercial banks. Show the new balance-sheet figures in column 3 of each table.

d. Now review each of the above three transactions, asking yourself these three questions: (1) What change, if any, took place in the money supply as a direct and immediate result of each transaction? (2) What increase or decrease in the commercial banks’ reserves took place in each transaction? (3) Assuming a reserve ratio of

20 percent, what change in the money-creating potential of the commercial banking system occurred as a result of each transaction?

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Assets: Reserves Securities Loans Liabilities and net worth: Checkable deposits Loans from the Federal Reserve Banks.. Assets: Securities Loans to commercial banks..... Liabilities and net worth: $ 33 60 60 $150 3 $60 3 Reserves of commercial banks...... $33 Treasury deposits.. Federal Reserve Notes 3 27 Consolidated Balance Sheet: All Commercial Banks (1) (2) (3) Consolidated Balance Sheet: The 12 Federal Reserve Banks (1) (2) (3)