powerpoint presentation
Research Paper Presentation
Jennifer L. Spade
English 102
May 5, 2004
Topic & Thesis Selection
- Topic: Federal Reserve Board rate action.
- Topic Selected: March 31, 2004; political & educational interests; no change.
- Thesis: The Fed Reserve Board should wait to increase bank rates until we see a sustainable job growth above 200,000 for a 6-month composite plus other strong economic indicators.
- Thesis Selected: April 7, 2004; political & economic interests; no change.
Research Paper Structure
- Introduction: Fed rates, from Wall St. to Main St.
- Narration: job growth & inflation = rate increases.
- Partition: March job growth could be a “false start,” we need to wait for sustainable numbers.
- Argument: prior Fed actions had real job growth & inflation; not there yet.
- Refutation: sharp rises in rates due to quick rise in inflation; no due to low wages & high productivity.
- Conclusion: Fed has time to wait for real jobs #’s.
Major Arguments
- Raising rates prematurely could derail the economy
- Stunt job recovery
- Reduce capital investment & hiring
- Cool the red-hot housing market
- Slow consumer spending, thereby reducing GDP
- Negatively impact emerging (global) economies
- Decreased consumer confidence
- Inflation is still low - Fed has time to wait (August)?
Major Opposing Arguments
- Economic indicators strong; jobs & retail sales but inflation is rising, act now with minor increases
Response: March job growth could be a “false start.” Waiting a few months to make certain will provide solid evidence of the health of the U.S. economy.
- Waiting too long could cause sharp rate increases - lessons from past (1994)
- 7 fed fund rate increases in 12 months (3% to 6%)
- Too aggressive; crushed financial markets
Response: we don’t want to repeat actions taken in 1994, but the economic conditions are not comparable -- productivity is strong, and wages are flat -- both requiring time to adjust.
Source Analysis
Most Helpful
- BusinessWeek
- Associated Press
- Fed Chair testimony: 5/4
- April jobs report - to be released 5/7 - crucial
Least Helpful
- Older publications
- Books
Research Lessons Learned
- Select a topic not as fluid as Fed rate actions; daily assessments of data can invalidate claim
- Survey consumers for personal impact of claim
- Began draft sooner
Interesting Discoveries
- In researching the economic conditions and the Fed actions, I feel confident in my understanding of the subject matter and challenges faced by Greenspan and Fed policymakers when trying to keep the U.S. economy in balance.
- Using a systematic approach to writing a research paper decreased the likelihood of me being overwhelmed and increased my chances of finishing it.
Research Timeline
Sheet1
| Assignment | Hours | Days | |
| 1 | Topic Selection and Proposal | 2 | 2 |
| 2 | Single Source Summary & Analysis | 3 | 1 |
| 3 | Annotated Bibliography | 13 | 14 |
| 4 | Formal Outline | 7 | 3 |
| 5 | Presentation | 4 | 2 |
| 6 | Rough Draft(s) | Pending | Pending |
| 7 | Final Draft | Pending | Pending |
Sheet2
Sheet3
When Fed Chair Alan Greenspan speaks, we listen!
Good news for now, no change in Fed rates.
?
AssignmentHoursDays
1Topic Selection and Proposal 22
2Single Source Summary & Analysis31
3Annotated Bibliography 1314
4Formal Outline73
5Presentation42
6Rough Draft(s)PendingPending
7Final DraftPendingPending