The Federal Open Market Committee decided today to keep its
target for the federal funds rate at 1 percent. This lesson
examines the December 2, 2011, U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau
of Labor Statistics, announcement of employment data and the
unemployment rate for the month of November, 2011. This lesson
introduces the basic concepts of the BLS employment and
unemployment data. The meaning and importance of the data are
discussed. Assessment exercises are included for reinforcing
knowledge of the concepts. The Federal Open Market Committee
decided today to lower its target for the federal funds rate by
50 basis points to 1 1/4 percent. In a related action, the Board
of Governors approved a 50 basis point reduction in the discount
rate to 3/4 percent. The following lessons come from the Council
for Economic Education's library of publications. Clicking the
publication title or image will take you to the Council for
Economic Education Store for more detailed information. Teaching
Financial Crises is an eight