Bernanke May Sustain Stimulus to Avoid ‘Cold Turkey’ End to Aid

[dkf]

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke may keep reinvesting maturing debt into Treasuries to maintain record stimulus even after making good on a pledge to complete $600 billion in bond purchases by the end of June.

The Fed chief’s top two lieutenants said this month the economy and inflation are too weak to warrant the start of a monetary-policy reversal. Investors and economists including David Kelly at JPMorgan Funds see that as a signal the Fed will keep its balance sheet at current levels by replacing about $17 billion a month in maturing mortgage debt with Treasuries.

Ending the reinvestment policy and the $600 billion program at the same time would be like quitting stimulus “cold turkey,” said Kelly, who is based in New York and helps oversee $400 billion as chief market strategist at JPMorgan. “It does make sense to reinvest for a while,” he said. “Then they could watch how bond yields react to that.”


http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-04-19/bernanke-may-reinvest-maturing-debt-to-avoid-cold-turkey-end-to-stimulus.html

[gratuitous]

1. Isn't that nice?

Gotta provide a smooth, soft transition for the big money boyz. Let's all wait and see how bond yields react. Poor and old people? Cut 'em off tomorrow! Sink or swim! Gotta reduce the deficit.