Editing Federal Reserve (section)

==== Extraordinary Measures (2008) ====
Above are the conventional methods of monetary policy. In some circumstances, they become insufficient. In particular, there is what is known as the '''Zero-Lower Bound Problem'''. Interest rates, for obvious reasons, cannot (usually) be negative, so as they approach zero there comes a point where nothing further can be done. If the economy is still unresponsive, the Fed can, as it did in 2008, take extraordinary measures. One method was to '''extend the term of discount loans''', giving banks longer to pay them back. Another was the '''Term Auction Facility''', through which the Fed extended 3.8 trillion in collateralized loans at rates below the discount rate. The auctions were administered by the New York Fed though loans were offered through all twelve of the Federal Reserve Banks. At the same time, the Fed also began to make '''large scale purchases of toxic assets'''.
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