Taken from the newly-released minutes of the central bank's policy meeting that concluded March 16
But, what exactly do they mean?
- “Participants judged that it would be appropriate to move the stance of monetary policy toward a neutral posture expeditiously,”
- The Fed is looking to undo its “quantitative easing” policies that stimulated the economy during the pandemic as the Fed accumulated a $9 trillion portfolio. It will do so through “quantitative tightening,” or allowing the portfolio to shrink by not replacing securities that mature.
- Participants “generally agreed” on allowing up to $60 billion of Treasury securities and $35 billion in mortgage-backed securities to run off each month.
- Phasing in the tightening program over three months, “or modestly longer” if market conditions warrant. That process could begin following a meeting that concludes May 4.
-
Many officials envision raising rates by a half-percentage point at future policy meetings.
If there remained any doubt that the Fed will be withdrawing its monetary stimulus more rapidly than it has in the past, the latest minutes remove it.
Leave a Reply