The long-promised balance sheet unwind stopped in early September, never getting it even remotely close to pre-Great Financial Crisis levels. Maturing securities then began to be used to purchase more of the same again, increasing the balance sheet, as plainly shown in the graph.
Now that will get even worse as the Fed begins buying $60 billion a month outright in new Treasury securities on top of this reinvesting of maturing securities. The Fed claims this is not QE because they're only going to buy Treasury Bills, not longer dated Notes. Money market rates, where many investors had parked lots of cash to take advantage of better returns than they could get on long dated securities, have already fallen. Now there will be no place left to get any decent return without tying up your money for ten years paying 1.76% and thirty years just 2.22%.
Thanks for nothing Trump!
The FOMC voted unanimously to begin to purchase Treasury bills at an
initial pace of about $60 billion per month starting Tuesday. The
purchases will last at least into the second quarter of next year.
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