Question

Collaboration with Congress during the Clinton administration allowed for an aggressive deficit‑cutting plan to pass. At the end of the 1990s, Congress eliminated the government deficit. Manipulate the graph to illustrate how the elimination of the deficit affects the loanable funds market.

What does the model predict will happen to the quantity of private investment as a result of elimination of the government deficit? Private investment will _________.
a. decrease because the cost of borrowing decreases.
b. increase because the cost of borrowing increases.
c. decrease because the cost of borrowing increases.
d. increase because the cost of borrowing decreases.

Answer 1

d. increase because the cost of borrowing decreases.

Step-by-step explanation:

A government deficit means that tax collections amount to less than government spending during a fiscal year. This difference is covered through government's public debt, reducing national savings. So, when the U.S. government reduces its borrowing, it increases national savings and the supply of loanable funds in the U.S. market.

Thus, the supply for financial capital shifts to the right, allowing private market participants to borrow at a lower interest rate. The lower cost of funds means that participants can finance private investment at a lower cost, increasing the amount of private investment.