Because extending his term beyond 2006 would require a change in the Federal Reserve Act, Alan Greenspan will be stepping down from the chairmanship of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve next year. Under his leadership, the Federal Reserve has achieved extraordinary economic...

This paper examines what we have learned about monetary policy strategy and considers how we should change our thinking in this regard in the aftermath of the 2007-09 financial crisis. It starts with a discussion of where the science of monetary policy stood before the crisis and how central...

We discuss the evolution in macroeconomic thought on the monetary policy transmission mechanism and present related empirical evidence. The core channels of policy transmission -- the neoclassical links between short-term policy interest rates, other asset prices such as long-term interest...

In recent years, the traditional business of banks--making long-term loans and funding them by issuing short--dated deposits-has declined. This development has raised concerns that more banks will fail or be forced to assume greater risk to remain profitable. This article first examines the...

The financial crisis of 2007 to 2009 can be divided into two distinct phases. The first and more limited phase from August 2007 to August 2008 stemmed from losses in one relatively small segment of the U.S. financial system—namely, subprime residential mortgages. Despite this disruption to...