Question

4) As conditions in short term financial markets improved by summer of 2009 the Fed closed down its lending under these programs mentioned in Q3 above. However, throughout the next 4 years the Fed increased substantially its purchases of longer term mortgage backed securities and Treasury notes from banks in a series of 3 “Quantitative Easing” (QE1, QE2, and QE3) Programs.

A) Assume that both lender & borrower confidence levels start to return to normal and financial and physical investment levels start to rise much more strongly in the next 12 months than in the last few years. What potential problems will the extraordinary growth in banks’ reserve deposits and in the size of the Fed’s portfolio of longer-term Treasury and Mortgage backed bonds that has resulted from 3 rounds of Quantitative Easing create then for the Fed? 4pts

B) What relatively untested policy tools will help the Fed deal with this problem? Explain. (Hint: you may wish to look at www.federalreserve.gov then click monetary policy…then Policy Normalization: principles and Plans)

Answer 1