Why Fed buying of assets from 1960 to 2007 was not called Quantitative Easing?

Discussion in 'Economics' started by Daal, Dec 10, 2020.

  1. Daal

    Daal

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    They were buying treasuries and injecting reserves in the system almost every year
     
  2. Used to be the Fed was cryptic about what it was doing.

    Now.. they just tell us straight out.... "We're printing money. We're ROBBING EVERYONE of their wealth by devaluing the buying power of their money/savings". "Quantitative Easing" is a Fed-speak, palliative, new-fangled term for printing money, and is more easily swallowed by the hoi polloi.

    The transparency is GREAT, isn't it?

    :(
     
    Last edited: Dec 10, 2020
  3. Uh, you're looking at the wrong data. QE refers to expansionary monetary policy near zero interest rates (where the Fed can't impact activity through raising/lowering FFR). Supply and demand shocks drive trends in growth, and to counter a trend, policy makers need to make a huge, concerted effort, to change the direction of growth. If an economy is dropping it can spiral for decades (Japan), many decades (China/India), or hundreds of years (Roman Empire).
     
  4. piezoe

    piezoe

    If you bury your savings in a coffee can in the backyard rather than invest at a real rate of return at least equal to the inflation rate, then I suppose it would be understandable why you think as you do. But why would you do that?