Session 6: Economics: Monetary and Fiscal Economics Reading 28: An Overview of Central Banks
LOS b: Discuss monetary policy and the tools utilized by central banks to carry out monetary policy.
A country is experiencing a core inflation rate of 7% during a recessionary period of real GDP growth. If the central bank has a single mandate to achieve price stability and uses inflation targeting with an acceptable range of zero to 4%, its monetary policy response is most likely to decrease:
A) |
short-term interest rates. | |
B) |
GDP growth in the short run. | |
C) |
the foreign exchange value of the country’s currency. | |
If the central bank has a price stability mandate, it will most likely respond to the above-target inflation rate by decreasing the money supply, even though GDP growth is in a recessionary phase. Decreasing the money supply will result in higher short-term interest rates and appreciation of the currency, but will likely cause GDP growth to decrease further in the short run. |