After a meeting, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) decides that the state of the economy warrants actions to increase real interest rates. a. As a result of the increase in real interest rates, consumption, investment, government spending, and net exports will all . b. With the increase in real interest rates, output will , inflation will , and unemployment will . c. Each of the following situations would cause the FOMC to consider increasing rates except one. The exception is a negative output gap and low inflation. high inflation and a large positive output gap. a large positive output gap. high inflation.

The business cycle is the periodic but irregular up-and-down movement in economic activity, measured by fluctuations in real gross domestic product (gdp) and other macroeconomic variables. a business cycle is typically characterized by four phases—recession, recovery, growth, and decline—that repeat themselves over time. economists note, however, that complete business cycles vary in length. the duration of business cycles can be anywhere from about two to twelve years, with most cycles averaging six years in length. some business analysts use the business cycle model and terminology to study and explain fluctuations in business inventory and other individual elements of corporate operations. but the term "business cycle" is still primarily associated with larger (industry-wide, regional, national, or even international) business trends.