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First of all, I would like to introduce myself. I am a computer programmer from the Netherlands. I am working on a theory of money and banking derived from the "Natural Economic Order" of Silvio Gesell. "Natural Economic Order" clearly states that the root the economic and monetary...
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Central banks perform a number of functions; basically they act as the government's own bank, holding the government checking accounts and collecting tax receipts, facilitating the issuance of bonds, etc. They are also frequently given regulatory functions, such as the enforcement of fractional reserves...
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There are two answers to this question. 1) The Federal Reserve purchases U.S. government bonds and holds them. The total holdings currently are over $700 billion, so over the entire almost century of the Fed's existence, it has advanced $700 billion to the U.S. government. There is a complication...
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Good question. The New York Fed does not lend money to major securities dealers; it buys securities and pays for them with a check. These securities do not always have to be Treasuries. Last year, the Fed bought mortgage-backed securities. If the number of securities remained constant, there would indeed...