Saturday, November 5, 2022

Quick - LImited Reserves. Monetary Policy

Quick - Limited Reserves - Monetary Policy


This is a quick explanation of the Limited Reserves
framework for answering the AP College Board
MCQ's






Quick - Ample Reserves - MOnetary POlicy

 Quick - Ample Reserves - MOnetary POlicy


This is a quick explanation of the new ample reserves
framework for answering the AP College Board
MCQ's







Monday, October 31, 2022

IB 2022 Economics Higher Level Paper 3

 IB Economics Higher Level Paper 3

1. The diagram below shows the demand and cost curves of an imperfectly competitive firm that operates as a profit maximizer.

(a) Using the labeling on the graph identify and explain the 
        (i) quantity level of output (1 point)
        (ii) price charged by the firm (1 point)

(i) Q2 is where marginal revenue = marginal cost
(ii) P5 is the Profit Maximizing Price


(B) Explain, at the profit maximizing level of output, if the firm achives
        (i) Productive Efficiency
        (ii) Allocative Efficiency

(i) Productive Efficiency is when P = Minimum of the ATC (Costs are lowest)
(ii) Allocative Efficiency is when P = MC or (MB = MC)

Allocative efficiency shows the quantity and price that a perfectly competitive firm would produce if laid over the top of this monopoly. It shows the socially optimal quantity
 (ie) the quantity of the good that society desires.

(C) Now suppose the firm seeks to maximize revenues.
        (i) The quantity level of output
        (ii) The price charged by the firm

Maximizing Revenue is found where MR = Zero
(i) The Revenue Maximizing quantity is Q3
(ii) The Revenue Maximizing price = P3

(D) (i) Define Normal profits
        (ii) Identify the price and quantity the firm would charge to earn a normal profit?

(i) A Normal Profit (Zero Economic Profit) is when the firm is covering all of its explicit and implicit costs.
Explicit Costs = Fixed Costs & Variable Costs (anything you spend $ money on)
Implicit Costs = Opportunity Costs = what you could have been doing, given up
(ii) P3 & Q3 
(Understand that P3 & Q3 just happen to be where Revenue is Maximized, it isn't always)
 
A firm is breaking even when its

1. Producing where P = ATC sometimes labeled as D = ATC
2. Called Breaking Even or Fair-Return as (TR = TC)
3. When a firm is breaking even it is covering all of its explicit and implicit costs, and if forced to produce at break-even, it will not need a subsidy to continue to produce in the long-run.

2. Asepsis Corp. operates in an imperfectly competitive industry producing hand sanitizer called Sani-Gel. The company currently produces the profit-maximizing quantity of Sani-Gel but is operating at a loss. [4]

(a) Draw a correctly labeled graph for Asepsis Corp. and show

  1. (i)  The profit - maximizing output, labeled as QM

  2. (ii)  The profit - maximizing price, Labeled as PM

  3. (iii)  The area of loss shaded completely 

Imperfectly Competitive = Monopoly
Losses, so P < ATC

(b) Assume that Asepsis is operating in the short-run. Amend the diagram from part a) AND write an explanation in the box below to demonstrate how the firm can remain open in the short-run while still operating at a loss. 

(b) The firm will continue to operate as long as the Price > than the AVC
As long as the price is greater than the AVC the firm will continue to operate in the short-run

3. (a) Complete the following table for McLovin’s: 



(b) Identify and explain the point at which McLovin’s begins to experience the law of diminishing returns 

(b) Diminishing marginal returns occur when the MP start to decrease
        DMR first occurs with the hiring of the 5th worker

4. The table below shows the total costs of production for STC Inc.

Output (Lbs)

Total Costs ($)

0

15,000

50

25,000

100

33,000

150

39,000


(a) State the value of STCInc.’s fixed costs.

(a) If the output is zero and there is a (TC) total cost - then that has to be Fixed Costs

When output is zero it implies that the Variable Costs is zero but Fixed Costs are 15k.

(b) Calculate the value of STC Inc.’s average variable cost if it produces 100 Lbs of output.

With an output of 100 lbs the TC is 33K - 15k (FC) = VC = 18k

(c) With reference to the data in the table, explain why STC Inc. achieves increasing returns to scale as it increases output from 50 Lbs to 150 Lbs. 


Recognize that MC = (Change in TC / Change in quantity)

Marginal Costs are falling which implies that Marginal Product must be increasing
Therefore the firm has Increasing Returns to Scale

Saturday, February 19, 2022

FED - T Accounts Multiple Choice Review (Released AP exam questions)

Federal Reserve - Central Bank - Monetary Policy

Past AP Exam (Released) Questions 

Multiple Choice Review 



(A) Keep part of their demand deposits as reserves



(E) The Discount Rate - The rate of Interest that the FED charges banks 
when they borrow from the FED
(FED2Bank Loans)



(D) Business purchase more factories & equip
RRR decreases-MS increases-Nominal Interest rate decreases-Investment increase
Investment = More loans taken out to create capital goods - factories, equipment, tools etc



(E) Banks less able to extend credit
If people's DM increases then they want more money in their poskets and less money in the banks - If the banks have less money they have less ability to extend loans
also if there is less money in the banks the NIR will increase and less people will
take out loans for investment purposes.


(Below full employment level of output) = Recession

(D) open market purchases of bonds


(D) MS increases and market (nominal) Interest Rate decreases)


(B) bank charge one another for short-term loans

FED Funds Rate = (Bank2Bank Loans)


(E) Fed buys gov't bonds

As the Fed Buys Bonds the MS increases and the Nominal Interest rate decreases
Lower nominal rates = lower rates that banks can charge one another
therefore lower Federal Funds rates



If you only have the categories of 
Required Reserves & Excess Reserves 
Then Req. Res. & Exc. Res. must = Checkable Deposits
$45 must be in Required Reserves & $45 is 15% of $300



(B) Increase by $200 - Increase by $30


$200 is deposited in Checkable deposits
the RR is 15%
15% of the $200 goes into the Req. Res. = $30
the rest ($170) flows into Exc Res.



(B) $80


$100 is deposited into the Banks Checkable deposits/ demand deposits

The RRR is 20%
Therefore 20% of checkable deposits goes to the Req. res. = $20
the rest $80 flows into excess reserves.



What is in Excess Reserves can be loaned out
(B) $8,000




What is in Excess Reserves can be loaned out
(C) $3,000


Anytime the College Board gives you (Total Reserves or Reserves)
you must figure out the required and the excess
they are trying to trick you - the jerks!


(D) $9,000


(D) $500

RRR = 20%
Money Multiplier = 1/RRR = 5
Banks Loan out money from Excess Reserves increases the Money Supply
$100 in excess reserves x 5 = $500 increase in the Money Supply



(B) $900

$100 in Check Dep.
RRR = 10% therefore $10 in Req Res.
$90 flows into Excess Res.
Banks loan out all of their Exc Res.
Money Multiplier = 1/RRR = 1/.1 = 10
$90 x 10 = MS increases by $900

(B) less than $5 million

** Notice in the question (A $1 million increase in Reserves)
If the full $1million was in excess reserves
and it all was loaned out.
The Money Multiplier = 1/RRR = 1/.2 = 5
$1million x 5 = 5 million increase in money supply
but
The problem said: banks voluntarily keep some excess reserves.

If banks loan out less than the $1 million in exc. res. then the money supply can't increase by the full $5 million


(C) $2,000 billion
** Tricky tricky question

Recognize that when the FED buys bonds the MS increases by $400b immediately

Then when citizens deposit that $400b in the banks the money supply
increases again when banks loan out money
Exc Res. = $320 x 5 = $1,600 increase in the MS

Therefore $1,600 Bank increased MS
 + $400 FED increased MS
= $2,000 total increase in MS


(C) $900



(E) Decrease of $5 million

Selling Bonds is Contrationary - MS will decrease

RRR = 20% = Money Multiplier = 1/.2 = 5

$1 million sold bonds  = $1m x 5 = $5 million decrease in MS


(D) B can increase loans by $40

** Notice these T - Accts only have Actual Reserves
You need to break them up into 
Required Reserves
Excess Reserves