Which of the following is a reason why the aggregate demand curve slopes downwar

Question

Which of the following is a reason why the aggregate demand curve slopes downward? a. At a higher price level, fewer goods and services are available. b.Periods when the price level is rising are usually time of whift declined in economic activity. c. Households feel poorer with an increase in average prices. d. If the U.S. price level rises, foreigners will buy more U.S. goods, leaving fewer U.S. goods for domestic consumers e. As the price level rises, business leaders become pessimistic about the future and reduce production.

Explanation / Answer

The reason for the downward slope of the aggregate demand curve is Keynes's interest-rate effect. Recall that the quantity of money demanded is dependent upon the price level. That is, a high price level means that it takes a relatively large amount of currency to make purchases. Thus, consumers demand large quantities of currency when the price level is high. When the price level is low, consumers demand a relatively small amount of currency because it takes a relatively small amount of currency to make purchases. Thus, consumers keep larger amounts of currency in the bank. As the amount of currency in banks increases, the supply of loans increases. As the supply of loans increases, the cost of loans--that is, the interest rate--decreases. Thus, a low price level induces consumers to save, which in turn drives down the interest rate. A low interest rate increases the demand for investment as the cost of investment falls with the interest rate. Thus, a drop in the price level decreases the interest rate, which increases the demand for investment and thereby increases aggregate demand.

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