Explain the Taylor rule, including the formula for setting the federal funds rate target, and the components of the formula. If the Fed were to use this rule, how many goals would it use to set monetary policy?
What will be an ideal response?
The Taylor rule specifies that the target federal fund rates should be set to equal the equilibrium real federal funds rate, plus the rate of inflation (for the Fisher effect), plus one-half times the output gap, plus one-half times the inflation gap. The formula is
Federal funds rate target = equilibrium real federal funds rate + inflation rate + (output gap) + (inflation gap)
The output gap is the percentage deviation of real GDP from potential full-employment real GDP. The inflation gap is the difference between actual inflation and the central bank's target rate of inflation. The equilibrium real federal funds rate is the real rate consistent with full employment in the long run. The inflation rate is the actual rate of inflation. The Taylor rule sets the federal funds rate recognizing the goals of low inflation and full employment (or equilibrium long-run economic growth).
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When a company is faced by a kinked demand curve, the marginal revenue curve
A) will be upward sloping. B) will be horizontal. C) will always be zero at the quantity produced. D) will be discontinuous.
One million automobiles have a defect that could cause the car to explode; however, only one of those cars will actually explode. Nobody knows which one car it is. When the car does explode, the victim's family will sue the automaker for $1 million and win. The defect costs $2 per car to repair. What does economics predict about the automaker's decision to repair the defect?
What will be an ideal response?