by Mike ‘Mish’ Shedlock
The Street
Let’s explore the question with a definition of velocity and the related variables.
Velocity of Money Definition
The St. Louis Fed Defines Velocity as the ratio of GDP to Money Supply.
There are several components of the money supply,: M1, M2, and MZM (M3 is no longer tracked by the Federal Reserve); M1 is the money supply of currency in circulation (notes and coins, traveler’s checks [non-bank issuers], demand deposits, and checkable deposits). A decreasing velocity of M1 might indicate fewer short- term consumption transactions are taking place. We can think of shorter- term transactions as consumption we might make on an everyday basis.
The broader M2 component includes M1 in addition to saving deposits, certificates of deposit (less than $100,000), and money market deposits for individuals. Comparing the velocities of M1 and M2 provides some insight into how quickly the economy is spending and how quickly it is saving.