Controlling the supply of money is all the Fed is doing here, which is nothing even similar to central planning.
I think you might be getting too semantic here. If you looked up the definition of a centrally-planned economy in an academic economics book, that might be what you get.
When the Fed or any central bank lets one institution fail, saves another, buys more or less government debt, purchases mortgage-backed securities, or any other security, I don't see how you could not call that central planning, investment, or capital allocation.
Central planning is a very well defined system of economics, and involves an authority taking almost complete control of the supply side. The federal reserve system does not resemble this in any way. The Fed isn’t particularly interested in how resources are allocated, and generally only concerns itself with the supply of money, and maintaining stability in the market. It has no opinion on what goods and services should be supplied.
The existence of a central bank does not equate to a planned economy.
While everything you have said is true, I feel as though there exist giant icebergs gliding silently past your watertight steel hull.
I really don’t know what the second part of your comment is getting at though...
I was pondering at the idea that central banking or any regulation of capital flow in society is a strange topic. Central banks are these organizations - people dressed in suits, they have office chairs and receptionists - but this window dressing as corporation or government office distracts us from what is a very strange topic. You have this complex network represented by a number. What is being said by this? That the Federal Reverse is economic homeostasis and the interest rate represents the equilibrium?
Half the time I think central banks make sense and the other half of it I think everybody must be insane. Seems like we could use the rationale for central banking to perform other activities, like population control. Nobody makes the case for something like that but how is it crazier? They're different forms of capital, right?
The topic is much more mysterious than you're allowing for!