Federal Reserve programs during the recent financial crisis sought to provide liquidity to individual firms or industries. An interesting additional question is whether the aggregate amount of liquidity in the economy was appropriate before and during the recent financial crisis.

Most central banks implement quantitative easing through asset purchases. Sweden took a different path.

Politicians, market participants, and economists have argued about whether the increased trading induced by the growth of index funds over the past decade is a cause of high commodity prices.

Assessing the state of the economy requires estimates of trends in employment and the labor force. Large monthly fluctuations make it difficult to infer these from monthly data.

Greater transparency is a means to better synchronize the public with policymakers and minimize the risks of undesirable economic outcomes.

During 1932, with congressional support, the Fed purchased approximately $1 billion in Treasury securities.

The Nordic bank resolution is widely regarded as among the most successful in history. ; Also issued as Monetary Trends, April 2009