This is the interest rate that banks lend their balances on at the Federal Reserve to other banks. It exercises this control by influencing the demand for and supply of these balances through the following means: Open market operations -- the purchase or sale of securities, primarily U.S. Treasury securities, in the open market to influence the level of balances that depository institutions hold at the Federal Reserve Banks (The

" (Structure of the Federal Reserve System) The 12 Federal Reserve Banks extend banking service to the depository institutions and also to the federal government. To the financial institutions it takes the responsibility of maintaining reserve and clearing out accounts and entails various payment services incorporating checks, electronically transferring funds and circulating and receiving coins and currency notes. As the banker of the Federal Government they function as fiscal agents. They

Their basis of criticism is that it had very expansionary monetary policy in the early days that gave room for misallocation of various capital resources. This lead to various undesirable economic scenarios such as the support of a massive stock price bubble. It has been argued that even though the Federal reserve did not cause the Great depression, it mitigated it through the unnecessary contraction of the money supply

United States Federal Reserve System: The Federal Reserve System or the Fed was established by President Wilson in December 1913 to promote the development of a stable, flexible, and safer financial system in the country. President Wilson enacted the Federal Reserve Act, which was a conclusion of the findings of a commission that was mandated with the task of examining the 1907 severe bank panic. Since its inception, the Federal Reserve

Macroeconomics The Federal Reserve System has been the central bank of the United States since 1913 and since its formation; the bank provides flexible, safer, stable financial and monetary system. Presently, the major duties of the Federal Reserve is to influence the monetary and credit conditions in the economy to pursue stable price, maximum employment, and moderate long-term interest rates. Open market operations, the reserve requirements and the discount rate are

Federal Reserve Operations in the United States Functions of the Federal System in Control of Money Supply The discount rate, according to the federal system, is the interest rate, which the Federal Reserve imposes on the loans it gives to Federal Banks that are troubled and need financial support. Processing of lending to the banks is done through the 'discount window', which in most cases is controlled by the Reserve Banks. Factors influencing