Final answer:
A $400 million deposit with a 10% reserve ratio could potentially increase the money supply by $4 billion through the deposit multiplication effect.
Step-by-step explanation:
When a large corporation deposits $400 million into a bank, and the required reserve ratio is 10%, the bank must hold $40 million as required reserves. The rest, which is $360 million, can be lent out. This lending process can be repeated multiple times by various banks, where each time, 10% is kept in reserve and 90% is loaned out. This is known as the deposit multiplication effect in the banking system.
The total increase in the money supply will ultimately be determined by the money multiplier formula, which is 1 divided by the reserve requirement ratio. Given a reserve requirement of 10% (or 0.10), the money multiplier is 1 / 0.10 = 10. Therefore, the deposit of $400 million can eventually lead to a maximum increase in the money supply of 400 million * 10 = $4 billion.