Spring 2005

ECONOMICS 1312

J.G. Gonzalez

 

 

 

 

Problem Set # 1

 

 

            This problem set is due Thursday, February 17, at the beginning of the class period.  All text answers must be typed.  Unstapled problem sets will not be accepted.  Late problem sets are unacceptable also.

 

1)  The following information is from the 2003 United States’ national income accounts:

 

1.  Government transfer payments

$

1306.4

2.  Personal income taxes

 

1001.9

3.  Consumer purchases of goods and services

 

7760.9

4.  Rental income

 

153.8

5.  Government expenditures on goods and services

 

2075.5

6.  Value of leisure time

 

9322.6

7.  Imports of goods and services

 

1544.3

8.  Gross domestic investment

 

1665.8

9.  Depreciation

 

1353.9

10.  Pollution damage

 

3798.1

11.  Exports of goods and services

 

1046.2

12.  Proprietors' income

 

834.1

13.  Corporate profits

 

1021.1

14.  Receipts of factor income from the rest of the world

 

329.0

15.  Indirect business taxes

 

864.3

16.  Social Security taxes

 

773.2

17.  Household production

 

5877.4

18.  Corporate profits tax

 

502.6

19.  Personal dividend income

 

392.8

20.  Personal interest income

 

929.9

21.  Payments of factor income to the rest of the world

 

273.9

22.  Net interest

 

543.0

23.  Business transfer payments

 

28.9

24.  Wages and salaries

 

6289.0

 

a)  Compute the U.S. GDP for 2003 using the flow-of-expenditures approach.

 

b)      Compute the U.S. GDP for 2003 using the flow-of-earnings approach.

 

c)      Compute the U.S. GNP for 2003.  Was the 2003 GNP higher or lower than GDP?  Why?

 

d)  Compute the U.S. NNP, PI, and DI for 2003.

 

 

 

2.  a)  Use aggregate supply and demand analysis to explain the macroeconomic consequences of a devaluation of the Turkish Lira for their economy.

 

  b)  Assume that Recep Tayyip Erdogan (Turkey’s prime minister) says that he wants to follow accommodative economic policy in response to the changes in part a).  What fiscal policies would you suggest be used?  What monetary policies could also be used?  Use a diagram to show the effects of your suggested polices.

 

 

3.  You are the President's economic advisor and you are trying to figure out where the U.S. economy is headed next year.  You have the following forecasts for next year's AD, short-run AS, and long-run AS curves (output is given in trillions of 2004 dollars):

 

 

Price

Level

 

Real GDP

Demanded

Real GDP

Supplied in

the short run

Long-run

Aggregate

     Supply

186

11.5

10.3

10.7

192

11.2

10.6

10.7

198

10.9

10.9

10.7

204

10.6

11.2

10.7

 

 

            This year, real GDP is $10.4 trillion, potential GDP is $10.5 trillion, and the price level is 190.  The President wants answers to the following questions:

 

a)  What is your forecast of next year's real GDP?

b)  What is your forecast of next year's price level?

c)  What is your forecast of the inflation rate?

d)  Will real GDP be above or below potential output? By how much?

e)  What will happen to the unemployment rate?

 

4.  Use the information in problem 3 to answer the following questions (use diagrams in your answers):

 

a)  What will have to be done to aggregate demand to move the economy to potential output?  What type of monetary policy could be used to achieve this objective?  What fiscal policy could be used to achieve this objective?

 

b)  What will the price level be if aggregate demand is manipulated to move the economy to potential output?  (For simplicity you can assume that the AD and AS are straight lines).

 

 

 

 

5.  Use the information available at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis’ webpage (http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/categories/22) to obtain the data necessary to answer the following questions.

 

a)  What were the interest rates on 3-month U.S. Treasury bills (the data series is called:  3-Month Treasury Constant Maturity Rate –daily-) on:

                     i.         October 2, 2000

                   ii.         January 2, 2004

                  iii.         April 1, 2004

                 iv.         July 1, 2004

                   v.         October 1, 2004

                 vi.         January 31, 2005

 

b)  What were the interest rates on 10-year U.S. Treasury bonds (the data series is called:  10-Year Treasury Constant Maturity Rate –daily-) on:

                     i.         October 2, 2000

                   ii.         January 2, 2004

                  iii.         April 1, 2004

                 iv.         July 1, 2004

                   v.         October 1, 2004

                 vi.         January 31, 2005

 

c)  Draw the yield curves for:

                     i.         October 2, 2000

                   ii.         January 2, 2004

                  iii.         April 1, 2004

                 iv.         July 1, 2004

                   v.         October 1, 2004

                 vi.         January 31, 2005

 

d)  What was the yield curve from October 2, 2000 predicting about the future of the U.S. economy for 2001?

 

e)  What was the probability of a recession according to the yield curve of October 2, 2000?  (Note: Use the diagram from the WSJ article (Aug. 12, 1996) that we discussed in class to answer this question).  On the basis of that information, what actions would you have recommended the Fed take at that time?  Why?

 

f)  What were the changes in the yield curve from Jan. 2, 2004 to January 31, 2005 predicting about the future of the U.S. economy for 2005?  Explain.

 

g)  What is the probability of a recession for 2005 according to the yield curve of January 31, 2005 (Note: Use the diagram from the WSJ article -Aug. 12, 1996- that we discussed in class to answer this question).  On the basis of that information, what actions would recommend the Fed take at this time?  Why?

 

6.  The country of Keane has 265 million people over the age of 16.  You are told that there is only one wage in the economy and that it is equal to $30 per hour.  At this wage 170 million people are willing to work.  You are told that when the wage equals $30 per hour there is no involuntary unemployment in Keane.

 

a)  Use the geometry of supply and demand to describe the labor market of Keane (Make sure that you show the number of workers employed, voluntarily unemployed, and the total population).

 

b)  Suppose that as a result of a decline in consumption and investment expenditures, 30 million workers become involuntarily unemployed.  Illustrate these changes with the use of a new diagram (Make sure that you show the number of workers that are employed, involuntarily unemployed, voluntarily unemployed, and the total population).

 

c)  What assumption is necessary to generate involuntary unemployment in the labor market?

 

 

7.  Find a newspaper or magazine article published between February 7, 2005 and February 14, 2005 describing an event that may affect the U.S. price level and real GDP.  Draw an initial set of AD and AS curves, then determine which curve will be affected, and in which direction it will shift.  What do you predict will happen to the price level and real GDP?  Your answer must include a short summary of the article and an explanation of how the event affects AD or AS (you should also attach a copy of the article).