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The most obvious, direct lever is they set the reserve requirement ratio. The bank isn't going to make the loan if they don't have the reserve.

The next mechanism is setting the Fed funds rate and discount rate. That will very directly incentivize the bank to loan more or less money.

The third is the ability to buy whatever asset it deems necessary to support the economy. Quantitative easing almost directly impacts money supply.



>> they set the reserve requirement ratio

No that doesn't exist anymore: https://www.federalreserve.gov/monetarypolicy/reservereq.htm

>> The bank isn't going to make the loan if they don't have the reserve

The bank has unlimited reserves since the central bank will issue reserves via the discount window in unlimited quantities.

Loan making is capital constrained, not reserve (or deposit!) constrained.

>> That will very directly incentivize the bank to loan more or less money

No. This is ignoring what's happened over the past 14 years.

>> Quantitative easing almost directly impacts money supply

Again - this is a statement that isn't supported by what we've seen happen since the GFC.


Capital requirements (which is what Silvergate ran afoul of) have replaced reserve requirements. They function similarly, only instead of the amount of loans being determined by deposits they are determined by shareholder equity.


reserve requirements are based on deposits/liabilities. Capital requirements are what allows or disallows a bank from making loans.




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