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Monetary policy in the 2008-2009 recession

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  • Robert L. Hetzel

Abstract

The recession that began with a cyclical peak in December 2007 originated in a combination of real shocks because of a fall in housing wealth and a fall in real income from an increase in energy prices. The most common explanation for the intensification of the recession that began in the late summer of 2008 is the propagation of these shocks through dysfunction in credit markets. The alternative explanation offered in this article emphasizes propagation through contractionary monetary policy. The first explanation stresses the importance of credit-market interventions (credit policy). The second emphasizes the importance of money creation (money-creation policy). According to Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) Chairman William McChesney Martin, \\"The System should always be engaged in a ruthless examination of its past record\\" (FOMC Minutes, 11/26/68, 1,456).

Suggested Citation

  • Robert L. Hetzel, 2009. "Monetary policy in the 2008-2009 recession," Economic Quarterly, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, vol. 95(Spr), pages 201-233.
    • Handle: RePEc:fip:fedreq:y:2009:i:spr:p:201-233:n:v.95no.2
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Michael D Bordo, 2012. "The Great Depression and the Great Recession: What have we Learned?," Working Papers id:4924, eSocialSciences.
    2. Belongia, Michael T. & Ireland, Peter N., 2016. "The evolution of U.S. monetary policy: 2000–2007," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 78-93.
    3. Michael D. Bordo & John S. Landon-Lane, 2010. "The Global Financial Crisis of 2007-08: Is it Unprecedented?," NBER Working Papers 16589, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    4. Tatom, John A., 2014. "U.S. monetary policy in disarray," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 12(C), pages 47-58.
    5. Sumner, Scott, 2017. "Monetary policy rules in light of the great recession," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 54(PA), pages 90-99.
    6. Roberto Motto & Massimo Rostagno & Lawrence J. Christiano, 2010. "Financial Factors in Economic Fluctuations," 2010 Meeting Papers 141, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    7. WARBURTON, Christopher E.S., 2013. "When Markets Fail: Asset Prices, Government Expenditures, and the Velocity of Money," Applied Econometrics and International Development, Euro-American Association of Economic Development, vol. 13(2), pages 73-92.
    8. Michael D. Bordo & John S. Landon-Lane, 2012. "The Global Financial Crisis: Is It Unprecedented?," Chapters, in: Maurice Obstfeld & Dongchul Cho & Andrew Mason (ed.), Global Economic Crisis, chapter 2, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    9. Singh, Vikkram & Roca, Eduardo & Li, Bin, 2021. "Effectiveness of policy interventions during financial crises in China and Russia: Lessons for the COVID-19 pandemic," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 43(2), pages 253-277.
    10. Dumitriu, Ramona & Stefanescu, Răzvan, 2020. "Provocări pentru Finanţele Comportamentale în contextul COVID-19 [Some challenges for the Behavioral Finance in the Context of COVID-19]," MPRA Paper 99675, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 16 Apr 2020.
    11. Bernard LANDAIS, 2010. "The Monetary Origins Of The Economic And Financial Crisis," Journal of Applied Economic Sciences, Spiru Haret University, Faculty of Financial Management and Accounting Craiova, vol. 5(3(13)/Fal), pages 280-291.
    12. Cameron Harwick, 2019. "Bubbles and Broad Monetary Aggregates: Toward a Consensus Approach to Business Cycles," Eastern Economic Journal, Palgrave Macmillan;Eastern Economic Association, vol. 45(2), pages 250-268, April.
    13. Corina SERBAN, 2011. "The Impact Of Recession On Social Marketing Activities : An Analysis Of Non-Profit Organizations Performance In The Context Of A Fluctuating European Economy," Journal of Doctoral Research in Economics, The Bucharest University of Economic Studies, vol. 3(3), pages 38-47, September.
    14. Domenico Lombardi & Pierre Siklos & Samantha St. Amand, 2018. "A Survey Of The International Evidence And Lessons Learned About Unconventional Monetary Policies: Is A ‘New Normal’ In Our Future?," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(5), pages 1229-1256, December.
    15. Selgin, George & Lastrapes, William D. & White, Lawrence H., 2012. "Has the Fed been a failure?," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 34(3), pages 569-596.
    16. Michael D. Bordo & Harold James, 2009. "The Great Depression Analogy," NBER Working Papers 15584, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    17. Robert L. Hetzel, 2009. "Should increased regulation of bank risk-taking come from regulators or from the market?," Economic Quarterly, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, vol. 95(Spr), pages 161-200.
    18. Levrero, Enrico Sergio & Deleidi, Matteo, 2017. "The money creation process: A theoretical and empirical analysis for the US," MPRA Paper 81970, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    19. Levrero, Enrico Sergio & Deleidi, Matteo, 2019. "The causal relationship between short- and long-term interest rates: an empirical assessment of the United States," MPRA Paper 93608, University Library of Munich, Germany.

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    Keywords

    Monetary policy; Credit;

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