Fed Ponders 'Unconvential' Methods To Combat Potentially Deleterious Effects of a Zero Bound Interest Rate Policy Minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee, January 29-30, 2002
"The Manager also reported on developments in domestic financial markets and on System open market transactions in government securities and federal agency obligations during the period December 11, 2002, to January 29, 2002. By unanimous vote, the Committee ratified these transactions.
At this meeting, members discussed staff background analyses of the implications for the conduct of policy if the economy were to deteriorate substantially in a period when nominal short-term interest rates were already at very low levels. Under such conditions, while unconventional policy measures might be available, their efficacy was uncertain, and it might be impossible to ease monetary policy sufficiently through the usual interest rate process to achieve System objectives. The members agreed that the potential for such an economic and policy scenario seemed highly remote, but it could not be dismissed altogether. If in the future such circumstances appeared to be in the process of materializing, a case could be made at that point for taking preemptive easing actions to help guard against the potential development of economic weakness and price declines that could be associated with the so-called "zero bound" policy constraint."
Minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee, January 29-30, 2002
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