FEDERAL OPEN MARKET COMMITTEE Definition

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FEDERAL OPEN MARKET COMMITTEE (FOMC) is a 12-member committee consisting of the seven members of the Federal Reserve Bank and five of the 12 Federal Reserve Bank presidents. The president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York is a permanent member while the other Federal Reserve presidents serve on a rotating basis. The committee sets objectives for the growth of money and credit that are implemented through purchases and sales of U.S. Government securi­ties in the open market. The FOMC also establishes policy relating to Federal Reserve System operations in the foreign exchange markets.

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HIGH-LOW METHOD of approximating cost behavior considers only two points of data, the highest and lowest, for activity within the relevant range. The method first focuses on cost changes, allowing an analyst to determine the presence of any variable cost. Next, fixed costs are determined by subtracting variable cost from the total cost at either of the two data points. The calculation is an algebraic procedure used to separate a semi-variable cost into the variable and fixed components. The method calls for using the extreme data points (highest and lowest x - y pairs) in the COST-VOLUME FORMULA y = a + bx; where a = fixed cost portion and b = the variable rate.

ERROR is unintentional misstatements or omissions in financial statements. Errors may involve mistakes in gathering or processing accounting data, incorrect estimates from oversight or misinterpretation of facts, and mistakes in application of principles relating to amount, classification, presentation or disclosure.

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