Monetary Policy' - Monetary policy consists of the actions of a central bank, currency board or

other regulatory committee that determine the size and rate of growth of the money supply,
which in turn affects interest rates. Monetary policy is maintained through actions such as
modifying the interest rate, buying or selling government bonds, and changing the amount of
money banks are required to keep in the vault (bank reserves).

Money Supply' - Money supply is the entire stock of currency and other liquid instruments
circulating in a country's economy as of a particular time. Also referred to as money stock,
money supply includes safe assets, such as cash, coins, and balances held in checking
and savings accounts that businesses and individuals can use to make payments or hold as
short-term investments.

Inflation' - Inflation is the rate at which the general level of prices for goods and services is
rising and, consequently, the purchasing power of currency is falling. Central banks attempt to
limit inflation, and avoid deflation, in order to keep the economy running smoothly.

Unemployment' - Unemployment is a phenomenon that occurs when a person who is actively

searching for employment is unable to find work. Unemployment is often used as a measure of
the health of the economy. The most frequently measure of unemployment is the
unemployment rate, which is the number of unemployed people divided by the number of
people in the labor force.

types of unemployment

 Seasonal Unemployment Some sources include seasonal unemployment as a fourth

type of unemployment. It is part of natural unemployment.

Like its name says, seasonal unemployment results from regular changes in the season.
Workers affected by seasonal unemployment include resort workers, ski instructors and
ice cream vendors. It could also include people who harvest crops. Construction workers
are laid off in the winter, in most parts of the country. School employees can also be
considered seasonal workers.

The BLS does not measure seasonal unemployment. Instead, it adjusts its
unemployment estimates to rule out seasonal factors. This gives a more accurate
estimate of the unemployment rate.

 Structural Unemployment, one of the three types of unemployment, is associated with

the mismatch of jobs and workers due to the lack of skills or simply the wrong area
desired for work. Structural unemployment depends on the social needs of the
economy and dynamic changes in the economy.
 For instance,advances in technology and changes in market conditions often turn many
skills obsolete; this typically increases the unemployment rate. For example, laborers
who worked on cotton fields found their jobs obsolete with Eli Whitney's patenting of
the cotton gin. Similarly, with the rise of computers, many jobs in manual book keeping
have been replaced by highly efficient software. Workers who find themselves in this
situation find that they need to acquire new skills in order to obtain a new job.

 Frictional Unemployment is always present in the economy, resulting from temporary

transitions made by workers and employers or from workers and employers having
inconsistent or incomplete information. This type of unemployment is closely related to
structural unemployment due to its dependence on the dynamics of the economy. It is
caused because unemployed workers may not always take the first job offer they
receive because of the wages and necessary skills. This type of unemployment is also
caused by failing firms, poor job performance, or obsolete skills. This may also be
caused by workers who will quit their jobs in order to move to different parts of the
country.

Frictional unemployment can be seen as a transaction cost of trying to find a new job; it
is the result of imperfect information on available jobs. For instance, a case of frictional
unemployment would be a college student quitting their fast-food restaurant job to get
ready to find a job in their field after graduation. Unlike structural unemployment this
process would not be long due to skills the college graduate has to offer a potential firm

 Cyclical Unemployment - Unemployment that is attributed to economic contraction is
called cyclical unemployment. The economy has the capacity to create jobs which
increases economic growth. Therefore, an expanding economy typically has lower levels
of unemployment. On the other hand, according to cyclical unemployment an economy
that is in a recession faces higher levels of unemployment. When this happens there are
more unemployed workers than job openings due to the breakdown of the economy.
This type of unemployment is heavily concentrated on the activity in the economy. To
understand this better take a look at our Business Cycles section.

1. Print More Money

As no economy is pegged to a gold standard, central banks can increase the amount of money
in circulation by simply printing it. They can print as much money as they want, though there
are consequences for doing so. Merely printing more money doesn’t affect the output or
production levels, so the money itself becomes less valuable. Since this can cause inflation,
simply printing more money isn't the first choice of central banks.
2. Set the Reserve Requirement

One of the basic methods used by all central banks to control the quantity of money in an
economy is the reserve requirement. As a rule, central banks mandate depository institutions
to keep a certain amount of funds in reserve against the amount of net transaction accounts.
Thus a certain amount is kept in reserve and this does not enter circulation. Say the central
bank has set the reserve requirement at 9 percent. If a commercial bank has total deposits of
$100 million, it must then set aside $9 million to satisfy the reserve requirement. It can put the
remaining $91 million into circulation.

When the central bank wants more money circulating into the economy, it can reduce the
reserve requirement. This means the bank can lend out more money. If it wants to reduce the
amount of money in the economy, it can increase the reserve requirement. This means that
banks have less money to lend out and will thus be pickier about issuing loans.

In the United States (effective January 22, 2015), smaller depository institutions with net
transaction accounts up to $14.5 million are exempt from maintaining a reserve. Mid-sized
institutions with accounts ranging between $14.4 million and $103.5 million must set aside 3
percent of the liabilities as reserve. Depository institutions bigger than $103.6 million have a 10
percent reserve requirement.

3. Influence Interest Rates

In most cases, a central bank cannot directly set interest rates for loans such as mortgages, auto
loans, or personal loans. However, the central bank does have certain tools to push interest
rates towards desired levels. For example, the central bank holds the key to the policy rate—
this is the rate at which commercial banks get to borrow from the central bank (in the United
States, this is called the federal discount rate). When banks get to borrow from the central bank
at a lower rate, they pass these savings on by reducing the cost of loans to its customers. Lower
interest rates tend to increase borrowing and this means the quantity of money in circulation
increases.

4. Engage in Open Market Operations

Central banks affect the quantity of money in circulation by buying or selling government
securities through the process known as open market operations (OMO). When a central bank
is looking to increase the quantity of money in circulation, it purchases government securities
from commercial banks and institutions. This frees up bank assets—they now have more cash
to loan. This is a part of an expansionary or easing monetary policy which brings down the
interest rate in the economy. The opposite is done in case where money needs to taken out
from the system. In the United States, the Federal Reserve uses open market operations to
reach a targeted federal funds rate. The federal funds rate is the interest rate at which banks
and institutions lend money to each other overnight. Each lending-borrowing pair negotiate
their own rate and the average of these is the federal funds rate. The federal funds rate, in turn,
affects every other interest rate. Open market operations are a widely used instrument as they
are flexible, easy to use, and effective.

5. Introduce a Quantitative Easing Program

In dire economic times, central banks can take open market operations a step further and
institute a program of quantitative easing. Under quantitative easing, central banks create
money and use it to buy up assets and securities such as government bonds. This money enters
into the banking system as it is received as payment for the assets purchased by the central
bank. The bank reserves swell up by that amount, which encourages banks to give out more
loans, it further helps to lower long-term interest rates and encourage investment. After
the financial crisis of 2007-2008, the Bank of England and the Federal Reserve launched
quantitative easing programs. More recently, the European Central Bank and the Bank of Japan
have also announced plans for quantitative easing.

The Bottom Line

Central banks work hard to ensure that a nation's economy remains healthy. One way central
banks do this is by controlling the amount of money circulating in the economy. They can do
this by influencing interest rates, setting reserve requirements, and employing open market
operation tactics, among other approaches. Having the right quantity of money in circulation is
crucial to ensuring a healthy and sustainable economy.

Composition of monetary board of BSP

The powers and function of Bangko Sentral are exercised by its Monetary Board, which has
seven members appointed by the President of The Philippines. Under the New Central Bank
Act, one of the government sector members of the Monetary Board must also be a member of
the Cabinet designated by the President.

The BSP Monetary Board

Chairman Amando M. Tetangco, Jr.

Members Carlos G. Dominguez III

Alfredo C. Antonio
Juan D. De Zuñiga, Jr.
Valentin A. Araneta
Felipe M. Medalla
Armando L. Suratos