Answer:
D. regulate the money supply.
Explanation:
The Federal Reserve System (popularly referred to as the 'Fed') was created by the Federal Reserve Act, passed by the U.S Congress on the 23rd of December, 1913. The Fed began operations in 1914 and just like all central banks, the Federal Reserve is a United States government agency.
Generally, it comprises of twelve (12) Federal Reserve Bank regionally across the United States of America, which are commonly referred to as Federal Reserve District Bank.
Like all central banks, the Federal Reserve is a government agency that is saddled with the following responsibilities;
I. The Fed controls the issuance of currency in United States of America: it promotes public goals such as economic growth, low inflation, and the smooth operation of financial markets.
II. It provides banking services to all the commercial banks in the country because the Federal Reserve is the "lender of last resort."
III. It regulates banking activities in the United States of America: it has the power to supervise and regulate banks.
Additionally, the Fed is saddled with the responsibility of selling government securities such as treasury bills to the public.
However, the most important function of the Fed is to regulate the money supply through the establishment of monetary policies.
Monetary policy can be defined as the actions (macroeconomic policies) adopted and undertaken by the central bank of a particular country to control the money supply and interest rates so as to boost or enhance economic growth. The central bank (Fed) uses monetary policies to manage inflation, economic growth through long-term interest rates and level of unemployment in a country.
