The Response and Results of Countries to the Fed's Rate Hike

Abstract

Many financial institutions including Europe and Japan remained healthy during the global financial crisis, with deposits guaranteed by the federal government. The surge in demand for money did not have any destabilizing effects on the banking system. In fact, bank deposits also increased during this period. However, the rise in demand for money did cause some problems for the paper money distribution business. Traditional models of money demand suggest that interest rate cuts and federal stimulus payments to households have played a role in explaining the increase in money holdings. This study estimates that these factors account for only about 20% of the observed increase in currency holdings. The rest of the rise was likely due to increased precautionary holdings by people worried about the liquidity or solvency of financial institutions and as a contingency measure. It is in line with the disproportionate increase in demand for large-denomination. These results shed light on guiding further exploration of interest rates.