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Ben S. Bernanke - What the Fed did and why: supporting the recovery and sustaining price stability

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Bernanke's defense of the action of the Fed's monetary policy making committee, on November 3, 2010, (with a vote of 10-1) to buy an additional $600 billion of Treasury securities over the next 8 months. His defense focusses on the prospects of deflation- how low inflation can morph into deflation (falling prices and wages), that can create a long period of economic stagnation. In addition, with low and falling inflation, Bernanke sees spare capacity in the US that can be utilized to reduce the number of jobless people. He points to the rise in stock prices and fall in long term interest rates in anticipation of the Fed's action, as evidence that this Fed move would improve financial conditions. Lower mortgage rates would make housing more affordable, higher stock prices would increase consumer wealth, confidence and spending. Spending would lead to higher incomes and profits for economic expansion, from this viewpoint. The situation in November 2010, was a deepening housing slump anticipated for 2011, gridlock after the 2010 midterm elections and no agreement on additional stimulus for 2011, the need to rebalance the global economy lacking cooperation from China (with China increasing imports and reducing exports and the US increasing exports and reducing imports). Fed's Bernanke does not mention these factors, and only hints at the gridlock towards the end of the statement. This Fed action will push the dollar lower, just as efforts to improve exports and the trade balance are underway. The Fed's committee sees the risks of commodities inflation as an acceptable risk in the current situation, and the use of a cautious approach assessing the purchase program regularly as sufficient measure of safety. As to difficulties of the unwinding of these policies, the Fed sees present danger outweighing the risks of no action. For emerging markets such as Turkey, India, Australia and other countries seeing even more inflows of capital, the risks are left to these countries to manage. The central banks of India and Australia moved to increase interest rates at the same time that the Fed made its move.

The U.S. Federal Reserve and QE II.

08/12/2010

Problems with another round of quantitative easing, with Fed bond buying efforts to generate a jobs recovery.

Grouped Articles

How QE 2 Could Drift Off Course

Wall Street Journal 08/12/2010

Fed's Danger of Leaks With QE

Wall Street Journal 10/18/2010

Our Fiscal Policy Paradox

Wall Street Journal 10/25/2010

Fed Gears Up for Stimulus

Wall Street Journal 10/26/2010

America's economy: Not by monetary policy alone

Economist 10/28/2010

Opinions Are Split on Fed Policy Move

Wall Street Journal 11/01/2010

Liquidity Trap in Japan and the U.S.

03/17/2008

With the demand curve for money horizontal further increases in the money supply do little to lower interest rates, or as in the current situation where the interest rates in the US are virtually at zero so that further increases in the money supply do little to stimulate the economy. As unemployment is growing and the financial sector weak, Bernanke and the Fed see other ways in which quantitative easing helps a recovery. Here Chritopher Woods compares today's situation in America to that of postbubble Japan. He says America is already in a liquidity trap. And the regulatory forbearance to cleanup the banking mess is similiar to that in postbubble Japan when it took the government years to get up the will and strength to straighten out the mess including breaking up the banks that are too big to fail.

Grouped Articles

Is the U.S. Economy Turning Japanese?

Wall Street Journal 10/27/2009

Banking on the banks

Economist 10/15/2009

An end to the Japanese lesson

Economist 12/30/2009

Fed’s Bullard Raises Policy Concerns

Wall Street Journal 07/29/2010

Opinions Are Split on Fed Policy Move

Wall Street Journal 11/01/2010

Ben S. Bernanke - What the Fed did and why: supporting the recovery and sustaining price stability

Washington Post 11/04/2010

Quantitative easing in the U.K.

10/17/2009

Grouped Articles

Trying to Put the Easy-Money Genie Back in the Bottle

Wall Street Journal 10/17/2009

Fed’s Bullard Raises Policy Concerns

Wall Street Journal 07/29/2010

Ben S. Bernanke - What the Fed did and why: supporting the recovery and sustaining price stability

Washington Post 11/04/2010

Errors made- US and Japanese economy comparisons for a lost decade.

02/13/2009

Japan's economy suffered badly after a flood of credit and bad loans, resulting in deflation and a lost decade. The comparison with what the US faces now.

Grouped Articles

Japan Is a Model Not a Cautionary Tale

New York Times 06/09/2013

Japanese Prices Rise, Signaling Rebound

Wall Street Journal 07/26/2013

In Japan’s Stagnant Decade, Cautionary Tales for America

New York Times 02/13/2009

In Japan’s Stagnant Decade, Cautionary Tales for America

New York Times 02/13/2009

Apologizing to Japan

New York Times 10/30/2014

Abe: U.S., Japan Close to TPP Trade Deal

Wall Street Journal 04/21/2015

A delicate balancing act for the Federal Reserve to withdraw support that puts a dark cloud over the economy..

10/01/2009

Incrementally withdrawing support where and when possible will be a tough act for the Fed, after the Fed has committed $1 trillion so far as support to debt securtization markets that breathe life into the USA economy. Shiller says these markets are dead, we are stuck, and no one knows what will happen if they are hobbled for corporate real estate, mortgages, auto loans.

Grouped Articles

Tepid Growth Restrains Fed

Wall Street Journal 08/01/2013

Fed Must Consider the World and All U.S. Employment

Wall Street Journal 04/09/2015

How the Fed Can Avoid the Next Bubble

Wall Street Journal 10/06/2009

Paralysis in the Debt Markets Is Deepening the Credit Drought

New York Times 10/07/2009

New Order: No Money, No Problem

Wall Street Journal 10/07/2009

Fed Frets About Commercial Real Estate

Wall Street Journal 10/07/2009

Comparisons of the U.S. Economy with Japan, considering the Federal Reserve's easy money policy and little lending by banks.

10/15/2009

Is the US economy already in a liquidity trap with exploding monetary growth and little consumer lending asks Christopher Wood. Views of other experts on the subject.

Grouped Articles

Target Is 'Flexible,' Says Japan Bank Chief

Wall Street Journal 04/12/2013

Japan Is a Model Not a Cautionary Tale

New York Times 06/09/2013

Sluggish Economic Recovery Proves Resilient

Wall Street Journal 04/21/2014

Is the U.S. Economy Turning Japanese?

Wall Street Journal 10/27/2009

Banking on the banks

Economist 10/15/2009

Lending Squeeze Drags On

Wall Street Journal 12/08/2009

Low interest rates and Fed policy in 2010-2012

10/02/2010

Grouped Articles

What Markets Will

New York Times 10/16/2014

Enough With the Low Interest Rates!

Wall Street Journal 10/02/2010

Our Fiscal Policy Paradox

Wall Street Journal 10/25/2010

Fed Gears Up for Stimulus

Wall Street Journal 10/26/2010

Opinions Are Split on Fed Policy Move

Wall Street Journal 11/01/2010

Ben S. Bernanke - What the Fed did and why: supporting the recovery and sustaining price stability

Washington Post 11/04/2010

The risks of the Federal Reserve's reinflation policy in 2010-2014

10/11/2010

A rise in commodities prices is one serious risk, leaving consumers drowning in the reinflation.

Grouped Articles

Inflation Below Fed Target for 22nd Month in a Row

Wall Street Journal 03/29/2014

Risk of Deflation Feeds Global Fears

Wall Street Journal 10/16/2014

Fed Must Consider the World and All U.S. Employment

Wall Street Journal 04/09/2015

Fed's Reflation Bet Could Hit Consumers Before It Helps

Wall Street Journal 10/11/2010

Our Fiscal Policy Paradox

Wall Street Journal 10/25/2010

Fed Gears Up for Stimulus

Wall Street Journal 10/26/2010


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