The Federal Reserve's balance sheet has undergone significant changes since 2007, reflecting its response to major economic crises. From a modest *** trillion U.S. dollars at the end of 2007, it ballooned to approximately *** trillion U.S. dollars by August 2025. This dramatic expansion, particularly during the 2008 financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic - both of which resulted in negative annual GDP growth in the U.S. - showcases the Fed's crucial role in stabilizing the economy through expansionary monetary policies. Impact on inflation and interest rates The Fed's expansionary measures, while aimed at stimulating economic growth, have had notable effects on inflation and interest rates. Following the quantitative easing in 2020, inflation in the United States reached ***** percent in 2022, the highest since 1991. However, by July 2025, inflation had declined to *** percent. Concurrently, the Federal Reserve implemented a series of interest rate hikes, with the rate peaking at **** percent in August 2023, before the first rate cut since September 2021 occurred in September 2024. Financial implications for the Federal Reserve The expansion of the Fed's balance sheet and subsequent interest rate hikes have had significant financial implications. In 2023, the Fed reported a negative net income of ***** billion U.S. dollars, a stark contrast to the ***** billion U.S. dollars profit in 2022. This unprecedented shift was primarily due to rapidly rising interest rates, which caused the Fed's interest expenses to soar to over *** billion U.S. dollars in 2023. Despite this, the Fed's net interest income on securities acquired through open market operations reached a record high of ****** billion U.S. dollars in the same year.

It is commonly believed that the Fed's ability to control the federal funds rate stems from its ability to alter the supply of liquidity in the overnight market through open market operations. This paper uses daily data compiled by the author from the records of the Trading Desk of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York over the period March 1, 1984, through December 31, 1996. The author analyzes the Desk's use of its operating procedure in implementing monetary policy and the extent to which open market operations affect the federal funds rate-- the liquidity effect. The author finds that the operating procedure was used to guide daily open market operations. However, there is little evidence of a liquidity effect at the daily frequency and even less evidence at lower frequencies. Consistent with the absence of a liquidity effect, open market operations appear to be a relatively unimportant source of liquidity to the federal funds market.

View data of the frequency at which one unit of currency purchases domestically produced goods and services within a given time period.

The U.S. federal funds rate peaked in 2023 at its highest level since the 2007-08 financial crisis, reaching 5.33 percent by December 2023. A significant shift in monetary policy occurred in the second half of 2024, with the Federal Reserve implementing regular rate cuts. By December 2024, the rate had declined to 4.48 percent. What is a central bank rate? The federal funds rate determines the cost of overnight borrowing between banks, allowing them to maintain necessary cash reserves and ensure financial system liquidity. When this rate rises, banks become more inclined to hold rather than lend money, reducing the money supply. While this decreased lending slows economic activity, it helps control inflation by limiting the circulation of money in the economy. Historic perspective The federal funds rate historically follows cyclical patterns, falling during recessions and gradually rising during economic recoveries. Some central banks, notably the European Central Bank, went beyond traditional monetary policy by implementing both aggressive asset purchases and negative interest rates.

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the currency reform and of the introduction of the German D-mark on 20th June 1948, the German Bundesbank – in its function as central bank and bank of issue of the Federal Republic of Germany – presented long series of monetary statistics in 1998. In approximately 1,400 data charts, extensive information about the development of the German finance and banking industry, the capital market, and the foreign trade relations are given. In total, approximately 25,000 time series about the following core subjects were collected: general overviews of banking statistics, bank of issue, credit institutions, minimum reserves, interest rates, statistics of exchange rates, capital market, public finances, foreign trade, macroeconomic capital finance accounts and annual accounts of West German companies. Factual classification of the tables in HISTAT: A. Selected data regarding the economic development A.1 Monetary development A.2 Population and labour market A.3 Macroeconomic production and demand A.4 Prices and wages A.5 Distribution of the national income and incomes of the private households B. Foreign trade (currently not completed in HISTAT; access to the subjects B2, B3, B4, B7 see below) B1. Foreign debts and liabilities of domestic companies B.2 Foreign debts and liabilities of the credit institutions B.3 Foreign cross ownerships of German companies B.4 Regional balances of payment B.5 State of assets compared to other countries B.6 Balance of payments B.7 Additional specifications regarding the balance of payments B.8 Foreign payments by the German Bundesbank Any data including a differentiation of countries (EU countries, other industrialised countries, some developing countries, countries of the off-shore finance centres, OPEC countries, reform countries) are currently only available by placing an order with the ZHSF Data Service (ordering address see below) C. General overviews of bank statistics C.1 Consolidated balance of the banking system, assets C.2 Consolidated balance of the banking system, liabilities C.3 Cash circulation C.4 Development of money supply in connection with the balance C.5 Money demand of the Central Bank D. Exchange rate statistics D.1 External value indeces D.2 Exchange rates at the Frankfurt stock exchange D.3 Values of the ECU D.4 Values of the extra educational law E. Macroeconomic capital finance account E1. Domestic financial sectors E2. Domestic non-financial sectors E3. Other countries F. Annual accounts of West German companies F.1 All German companies F.2 Building industry F.3 Clothing trade F.4 Chemical industry F.5 Retail industry (incl. automobile trade and service stations) F.6 Electrical engineering F.7 Power and water supply F.8 Food industry F.9 Glas industry, ceramics, processing of stones and earths F.10 Wholesale trade and trade negotiations F.11 Production of rubber and plastic goods F.12 Production of automobiles and automobile parts F.13 Production of metal goods F.14 Timber industry F.15 Engineering F.16 Medical, measurement, driving and control technology F.17 Metal production and metal working F.18 Paper industry F.19 Textile industry F.20 Manufacturing industry F.21 Transportation (without rail) F.22 Publishing and printing G. Capital market (currently not in HISTAT; access see below) G1. Shares of domestic issuers G2. General overviews G3. Exchange transactions, option and future business G4. Domestic capital investment companies G5. Bonds of foreign issuers G6. Bonds of domestic issuers H. Credit institutions (currently not in HISTAT; access see below) H1. Assets H2. Liabilities H3. Assets and liabilities of the foreign branches and foreign subsidiaries of domestic banks H4. Building associations H5. Deposit statistics H6. Deposits and loans H7. profit situation of the banks H8. domestic and foreign debts and liabilities H9. Circulating bearer bonds according to their terms and bank group H10. Loans H11. Savings deposits and savings certificates H12. Savings business turnover according to bank group and endorsed disposals of non-bank financial companies H13. equity stocks and shares I. Minimum reserves (currently not registered in HISTAT; access see below) I.1 Overview I.2 Itemisation according to steps of progression (from March 1977) I3. Itemisation according to reserve classes (until February 1977) I1.1 Reserve stockpiles according to bank group, obligatory reserve liabilities I1.2. Reserve stockpiles according to bank group, Reserve debits I.2 Reserve ratios J. Central bank (currently not registered in HISTAT; access see below) J.1 Assets J.2 Liabilities K. Public finances K.1 Financial development of the public budgeting K1. Public debts L. Interest rates L.1 Money market rates L1. Bank interest rates (currently not registered in HISTAT; access see below).

According to a survey conducted between July 9 and July 11, 2022, ** percent of Americans thought that Joe Biden was highly responsible for the current trend in the inflation rate. This is compared to ** percent of Americans who said President Biden did not have a lot of responsibility for the current inflation rate.

Inflation in the U.S. Global events in 2022 had a significant impact on the United States. Inflation rose from *** percent in January 2021 to *** percent in June 2022. Significantly higher prices of basic goods led to increased concern over the state of the economy, and the ability to cover increasing monthly costs with the same income. Low interest rates, COVID-19-related supply constraints, corporate profiteering, and strong consumer spending had already put pressure on prices before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Despite rising wages on paper, the rapid growth of consumer prices resulted in an overall decline in real hourly earnings in the first half of 2022.

How much control does Joe Biden have over inflation? The bulk of economic performance and the inflation rate is determined by factors outside the President’s direct control, but U.S. presidents are often held accountable for it. Some of those factors are market forces, private business, productivity growth, the state of the global economy, and policies of the Federal Reserve. Although high-spending decisions such as the 2021 COVID-19 relief bill may have contributed to rising inflation rates, the bill has been seen by economists as a necessary intervention for preventing a recession at the time, as well as being of significant importance to low-income workers impacted by the pandemic.

The most important tool for curbing inflation and controlling the U.S. economy is the Federal Reserve. The Reserve has the ability to set, raise, and lower interest rates and determine the wider monetary policy for the United States – something out of the president’s control. In June 2022, the Reserve announced it would raise interest rates **** percent for the second time that year – hoisting the rate to a target range of **** to *** percent – in an attempt to slow consumer demand and balance demand with supply. However, it can often take time before the impacts of interventions by the Federal Reserve are seen in the public’s day-to-day lives. Most economists expect this wave of inflation to pass in a year to 18 months.