This segment explains how the Fed moves the economy toward maximum employment and price stability by setting a target range for the federal funds rate, and how it then uses interest on reserve balances to steer the federal funds rate into the target range. These factors affect consumer and producer decisions and ultimately the level of employment and inflation, which promote a strong U.S. economy.

This segment explains that the interest on reserve balances rate acts as a reservation rate for banks, and explains how arbitrage ensures that it is an effective tool for steering the federal funds rate into the FOMC’s target.

This segment explains how the Fed uses two important interest rates—the federal funds rate and the interest on reserve balances rate—to implement monetary policy. When banks lend funds to other banks from these accounts, they earn the federal funds rate. When banks hold funds in reserve balance accounts at the Fed, they earn the interest on reserve balances rate. But interest on reserve balances isn’t just about interest transactions; the Fed uses the interest on reserve balances rate to steer the federal funds rate.

This segment explains how the Fed adjusts the target range for the federal funds rate to set off a chain of events in the economy. This chain of events eventually influences the decisions of consumers and businesses and moves the economy toward the Fed’s dual mandate goals of price stability and maximum employment.

The Federal Reserve has changed the way it implements monetary policy. For example, the Fed’s new tools include interest on reserves and the overnight reverse repurchase agreement facility. But many of the recent changes are not reflected in resources for teaching monetary policy to college and high school students. This lecture helps fill the gap by providing an overview of the Fed’s ample reserves regime, including a description of how the Fed uses its new monetary policy tools to move the federal funds rate into the FOMC’s target range.

This video from the Explore Economics series helps kids understand what productivity is and how we can increase it. Kids learn that productivity is a measure of output per worker per unit of time. They learn that we can increase productivity through division of labor, investment in human capital, and using new capital resources.

Instructors have been teaching monetary policy the same way for decades: The Fed conducts open market operations (OMO) to move the federal funds rate higher and lower. However, that description has been out-of-date for over a decade. This presentation (recorded on August 26, 2021) describes the Fed’s current framework and offers teaching suggestions. Presented by Jane Ihrig (Federal Reserve Board of Governors) and Scott Wolla (Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis).

Find teaching resources related to this topic here: https://www.stlouisfed.org/education/teaching-new-tools-of-monetary-policy

This Federal Reserve Education event (recorded June 30, 2021) features industry experts and well-known researchers and economists who share their views on how racial inequality impacts economic mobility and opportunity.

Jeff Larrimore of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors gives the keynote presentation, “2020 Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking.” Jeff’s presentation is followed by a discussion moderated by Mary Suiter of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

Educators, see upcoming events from around the Federal Reserve System: https://www.federalreserveeducation.org

#wealthinequality #wealthgap #wealthdistribution

"Wealth" is what a family owns, minus what they owe. Here is how $96.1 trillion in total American family wealth was distributed among the U.S. population of 129 million families.

–To be in the top 10%, a family needed $1.22 million or more. Together, these roughly 12.9 million wealthy families owned 76% of total household wealth in 2019.

–To be in the middle 40%, a family needed at least $122,000 in wealth. Together, these approximately 51.5 million families owned 22% of U.S. wealth in 2019.

–To be in the bottom 50% meant a family had less than $122,000 in wealth. That represented about 64.3 million, or half of, families in 2019, owning just 1% of the nation’s wealth. Further, of this group, some 13.4 million families (about 1 in

This Federal Reserve Education event (recorded Feb. 25, 2021) features industry experts and well-known researchers and economists who share their views on how racial inequality impacts economic mobility and opportunity.

Tim Todd of the Kansas City Fed gives the keynote presentation, "The Economic Influence of America’s First Black Banks." Todd is historian, executive writer and author of "Let Us Put Our Money Together."

Panelists include Kristen Broady, fellow in Economics Studies, Brookings Institution, and policy director, The Hamilton Project; Ryan Nunn, assistant vice president, Community Development & Engagement, Minneapolis Fed. The panel is moderated by Mary Suiter, St. Louis Fed economic education officer.

Educators, see upcoming events from around the Federal Reserve System:

Come explore the museum from wherever you are! This full-length guided video tour of the museum allows you to see exhibits and watch videos previously available only within the museum. It’s a perfect virtual tour for students – especially those in middle and high school – as well for adults looking to explore the museum.

FUN FACTS:
-The Bank’s vault door weighs 45 tons.
-There are more than 7 million pennies, or 1 cent coins, made each year.
-Our gold bar weighs just under 28 pounds.

TEACHERS: Coming soon! Assign this virtual field trip to your elementary, middle and high school students using our free teacher portal: www.econlowdown.org. It’s the perfect tour for distance learning. After each segment (four total), students will take a quiz to test their knowledge.

MORE INFO:

#virtualfieldtrip #virtualtour #museum #museumfromhome

The Federal Reserve has a unique structure that helps provide a broad perspective on the economy in all parts of the nation. Learn how the Fed System works to achieve maximum sustainable employment and stable prices.

Next, explore how technology and trade have connected the world’s economies more closely than ever before, yet standards of living continue to vary from one nation to the next.

Finish off your tour with a look at our real gold bar.

FUN FACTS:
-Members of the Fed’s Board of Governors are nominated by the president of the United States.
-95% of the population in Egypt lives along the Nile River.
-Our gold bar weighs just under 28 pounds.

TEACHERS: Coming soon! Assign this virtual field trip to your

#virtualfieldtrip #virtualtour #museum #museumfromhome

Markets can be found everywhere, from international stock exchanges to agricultural markets to your local farmers market.
This segment of our virtual tour will guide you through these markets. Explore bartering and why money was created.
Wrap up with our Connections Theater video, “The Fed in Five.”

FUN FACTS:
-The U.S. imports more than 300 fruit products from more than 120 countries.
-Early forms of money took the shape of knives, axes and heavy plates.
-There are more than 7 million pennies, or 1 cent coins, made each year.

TEACHERS: Coming soon! Assign this virtual field trip to your elementary, middle and high school students using our free teacher portal: www.econlowdown.org. It’s the perfect tour for distance

#virtualfieldtrip #virtualtour #museum #museumfromhome

How do you make economic decisions … like whether to take a family trip or buy a new phone? Your virtual tour guide Matuschka will take you inside the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis’ Economy Museum.
Learn about economic concepts like scarcity and opportunity cost that can help you make choices.

FUN FACTS:
-Economist Milton Friedman is credited with the saying, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch.”
-One in 10 U.S. jobs depends on travel and tourism.
-There is a direct relationship between more education and higher pay. The more education one has typically results in a higher wage.

TEACHERS: Coming soon! Assign this virtual field trip to your elementary, middle and high school students using our free teacher portal:

#virtualfieldtrip #virtualtour #museum #museumfromhome

Families and kids, have you ever been inside a Federal Reserve building? Your virtual tour guides — Tom, Andrew & Matuschka — will take you inside the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis and the historic former teller lobby!

The St. Louis Fed is one 12 regional Reserve banks. We serve all or parts of seven Midwestern states and have branches in Little Rock, Louisville and Memphis. Our district, the Eighth Federal Reserve District, is home to industries including transportation, medicine, biotechnology and finance—along with lots of startups and small businesses.

FUN FACTS: -The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis’ current building opened in 1925. -The Fed shreds bills that are deemed no longer fit for circulation, and most shreds

#creditscore #education #personalfinance

A FICO credit score is the most common credit score used to determine loan eligibility and the interest rates a person pays. A credit score is a person’s financial story packed into a three-digit number, which indicates a person’s credit risk. Your credit score is based on information found in your credit report.
This video explains the categories FICO generally includes in calculating your credit score: Payment History; Amounts Owed Relative to Limits; Length of Credit History; Frequency of New Credit; and Types of Credit Used.
More from Econ Lowdown: https://www.stlouisfed.org/education/continuing-feducation-video-series/episode-1-understanding-how-a-fico-credit-score-is-determined

#TeachEcon #WomeninEconomics #WomeninEcon
Learn how to make a difference in the world with economics! Join us virtually from 6-8 p.m. Feb. 17 & 18 for the 2021 Women in Economics Symposium: https://events.stlouisfed.org/wie2021

This free event is especially relevant for high school students, college students and educators. It’s open to anyone curious to discover how studying economics can provide tools to tackle real-life problems.

You will:
• Hear from some of the nation’s top economists.
• Learn how economics can help address challenges facing society, including income inequality, poverty, environmental issues and health care outcomes.
• Discover careers you can pursue by studying economics in college, as well as graduate school and beyond.
• Participate in smaller panel discussions

This video walks users through five quick steps to remove a data series from a FRED graph. Edit a graph and select the line of data to remove to create a custom view. More: https://fredhelp.stlouisfed.org

This video shows all the changes available to make on a FRED graph—from selecting graph type (line, area, bar, scatter, pie) to recession shading, image sizing, chart titles and colors. More: https://fredhelp.stlouisfed.org

This video teaches how to change units and other components on a FRED graph. Using the Consumer Price Index as an example, learn how to view changes from either a month or a year earlier. More: https://fredhelp.stlouisfed.org

This video shows how to set the observation period on a FRED graph. Customize charts by selecting different start and end dates. There are four handy ways to do this. More: https://fredhelp.stlouisfed.org

This video explains how to add new data series to an existing FRED graph. Use the search bar to find and add data to create a custom graph. More: https://fredhelp.stlouisfed.org

#personalfinance #economiceducation
To be considered for any type of aid — grant, scholarship, or loan — all aspiring post-secondary students must complete a FAFSA. This video walks you through the online Free Application for Federal Student Aid to show what information you’ll need to complete the FAFSA quickly and accurately.

-Online version at https://studentaid.gov/ or on the myStudentAid mobile app
-FAFSA on the Web Worksheet available at https://studentaid.gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/filling-out

The FAFSA collects information about student demographics, school selection, dependency status, parent demographics and financial information.

#dataliteracy #teachecon #economics

Before the Great Recession, the federal funds rate was influenced by buying and selling relatively small quantities of Treasury securities in the open market. Now, the Federal Reserve uses the interest rate on reserves to influence the fed funds rate and steer it within its upper and lower target range limits. Learn how this works in this short video.

EDUCATORS – the Fed’s new monetary policy tools include interest on reserves and the overnight reverse repurchase agreement facility. Many of these recent changes are not reflected in resources for teaching monetary policy to college and high school students. We’ve compiled articles and guided reading activities you can use to teach the Fed’s new tools:

#dataliteracy #economics
This short video uses the St. Louis Fed’s free economic database, FRED, to chart the impact of COVID-19 on U.S. retail sales and employment levels.

FRED graphs featured in this video include:
-https://fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/?g=y7bO
Advance Retail Sales: Food Services and Drinking Places; Advance Retail Sales: Food and Beverage Stores; and "CPIAUCSL" to adjust sales figures for cost of living.

-https://fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/?g=qVn9
To show the monthly percentage change in payroll employment across all service-providing industries since 1939.

-https://fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/?g=y7cT
The unemployment rate "UNRATE," which represents the number of unemployed as a percentage of the labor force.

-https://fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/?g=y7dN
The federal funds

This Federal Reserve Education event (recorded Nov. 18, 2020) features Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic. He discusses how diverse perspectives can improve the economics field. Following Bostic’s keynote, a panel of notable participants answers audience and moderator questions:

-Betsey Stevenson, Professor of Public Policy and Economics, University of Michigan.
-Darrick Hamilton, Director, Institute for the Study of Race, Stratification and Political Economy; Henry Cohen Professor of Economics and Urban Policy, The New School.
-Marie T. Mora, Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs; Professor of Economics, University of Missouri-St. Louis.

Mary Suiter, Assistant Vice President and Economic Education Officer for the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, moderates the

#kidssongs #learningforchildren #financialliteracy

In Ep. 8 of this video series for elementary students, kids learn about income, spending, saving and savings goals. They are encouraged to save for the future. As an activity, they’ll draw a picture of a personal savings goal — such as a bike, a toy, a soccer ball, or something else — and can post the picture they drew near their piggy bank. Kids also learn a song about savings!

More: https://www.stlouisfed.org/education/exploring-economics-video-series/saving-and-savings-goals

#kidssongs #learningforchildren #financialliteracy
Ep. 7 helps kids understand that people are both consumers and producers.
-Producers make or grow goods and provide services. For example, a florist is a producer who makes pretty bouquets. A baker is a producer who cooks up yummy cakes, and a painter is a producer who creates artwork for us to admire.
-Consumers are people who buy or use goods and services to satisfy their wants. When you eat your dinner, you will be a consumer of food. You are also a consumer when you go to school. You are consuming knowledge.

Before we start, get a piece of construction paper, a pair of scissors, some markers or crayons, and a book that you are reading. Kids will become "producers" by making their own bookmark, and then be "consumers" by using the

#kidssongs #learningforchildren #financialliteracy
Ep. 6 helps kids understand that people buy and use both goods and services.
-Goods are objects that satisfy people’s wants. Pencils, scissors, paper, toys, candy, a bed, a hat and a bike are all examples of goods.
-Services are things people do for us that satisfy our wants. Getting your hair cut or ordering a meal are examples of services.

Make sure you have a piece of paper and some crayons or markers for this lesson. Kids will draw a picture of a good or service that starts with the first letter of their name. Then, they will write a sentence that describes the good or service they drew.

Kids also take a little quiz and learn a song about goods and services!

More:

#teachecon #dataliteracy #lms In Part 3 of this webinar recorded Aug. 24, 2020, host David Perkis walks through how Econ Lowdown integrates with Canvas. He shows: -How to grade short-answer questions when using Econ Lowdown reading Q&As. -How to link and review FRED® Interactives, which include the St. Louis Fed’s powerful macroeconomic data service. -How …