Changing down

摘要

INFORMING A CUSTOMER "I'm sorry, I can't give you your money" is the stuff of bankers' nightmares. But in June the Federal Reserve had to tell commercial banks just that: it was running out of spare change. As parts of the economy shut down, the flow of coins from wallets to deposits gummed up, leading retailers and banks to demand more. The Fed was forced to ration the supplies of pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters based on banks' previous orders.