Explain in detail how interest rates are determined in the money market. Examine the likely consequences for the macroeconomy of a reduction in the rate of interest and highlight the factors that might limit the effects.

This essay is going to demonstrate how the rate of interest is determined in the money market. It will examine the impact that a reduction in the interest rate has on the economy. The framework used will be the interest rate mechanism, where an increase in the money supply will change interest rates and stimulate interest-sensitive expenditures. It will then highlight the factors that can limit and offset the effects of a reduction in the interest rate.

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The interest rate is defined by Sloman et al. (2012) as the price paid for borrowing money. Two factors that determine the interest rate is the supply of money and the demand for money. The supply of and demand for money in the economy interact together to reach a level of equilibrium. According to Sloman et al. (2012) the money market is a market for short-term debt instruments in which financial institutions are active participants. Figure 1 and 2 illustrates the money market and the demand for money. The demand for money refers to an individual’s desire to hold their wealth in the form of money instead of using it to purchase goods or financial assets. The money demand curve is downward sloping as an increase in the interest rate leads to a decrease in the quantity of money demanded. Money supply is the entire stock of currency and other liquid instruments in the economy. The money supply is set by the central bank (Bank of England) and is exogenous (does not depend on the demand for money). The money supply is fixed and is not influenced by the rate of interest. In figure 1, the x-axis measures the money supply, the y-axis represent the rate of interest and the L curve represents the liquidity preference curve (demand for money). The money supply is represented by the vertical line Ms. The intersection of the money supply and money demand curves reveals the equilibrium rate of interest and is fixed at that point where they equate. According to Keynes the intersection of the curves is purely a monetary phenomenon.

John Maynard Keynes (1936) in his book the General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money described the demand for money through liquidity preference framework. According to this theory, the primary reasons for holding money are for transactional, precautionary and speculative demands. The sum of all three demands make up the total demand for money. According to the theory, if interest rates are high individuals demand for money (liquidity preference) is low and when interest rates are low, the demand for holding money increases. In figure 2, the curve L1 is the transaction plus precautionary demand for holding money. L stands f