曼昆《经济学原理》29monetarysystem.ppt

29 The Monetary System THE MEANING OF MONEY Money is the set of assets in an economy that people regularly use to buy goods and services from other people. The Functions of Money Money has three functions in the economy: Medium of exchange Unit of account Store of value The Functions of Money Medium of Exchange A medium of exchange is an item that buyers give to sellers when they want to purchase goods and services. A medium of exchange is anything that is readily acceptable as payment. The Functions of Money Unit of Account A unit of account is the yardstick people use to post prices and record debts. Store of Value A store of value is an item that people can use to transfer purchasing power from the present to the future. The Functions of Money Liquidity Liquidity is the ease with which an asset can be converted into the economy’s medium of exchange. The Kinds of Money Commodity money takes the form of a commodity with intrinsic value. Examples: Gold, silver, cigarettes. Fiat money is used as money because of government decree. It does not have intrinsic value. Examples: Coins, currency, check deposits. Money in the U.S. Economy Currency is the paper bills and coins in the hands of the public. Demand deposits are balances in bank accounts that depositors can access on demand by writing a check. Figure 1 Money in the U.S. Economy CASE STUDY: Where Is All The Currency? In 2001 there was about $580 billion of U.S. currency outstanding. That is $2,734 in currency per adult. Who is holding all this currency? Currency held abroad Currency held by illegal entities THE FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM The Federal Reserve (Fed) serves as the nation’s central bank. It is designed to oversee the banking system. It regulates the quantity of money in the economy. THE FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM The Fed was created in 1914 after a series of bank failures convinced Congress that the United States needed a central bank to ensure the health of the nation’s banking system. THE FEDERAL RESERVE SYS