What is the significance of artificially low interest rates vs. artificially high interest rates?
Is it possible for the Fed to start raising interest rates again, or are they backed into a corner?
Now that Volcker is on Obama's team, is there a chance we could go back to 1980's artificially high interest rates again? If so, what would the effect on gold be?
In other words does the Fed have anymore tricks up its sleeve, or can all they do is print money? Is it game over?
Their best chance of saving the dollar is to raise the interest rate, but that would make the economic crisis worse. They're between a rock and a rock, trying to do the impossible: magically make a non-producing economy prosperous, by managing the movement of little green slips of paper.
They're between a rock and a rock, trying to do the impossible: magically make a non-producing economy prosperous, by managing the movement of little green slips of paper.
75bps cut to 25bps
freeeee money!!!!
It did not work because not all institutions holding reserve accounts at the Fed are eligible for the payment of interest on reserves or excess reserves. Think of the GSEs or foreign institutions. Thus, they have more incentive to lend cheaply..
They're already there.
12/05/2008, 0.12
12/06/2008, 0.12
12/07/2008, 0.12
12/08/2008, 0.12
12/09/2008, 0.13
12/10/2008, 0.11
12/11/2008, 0.14
12/12/2008, 0.15
Federal funds effective rate
The floor they tried to put in the overnight rates by paying the target rate for reserves didn't work.
.
Money market funds are now at risk of negative yields (after expenses). Many money market funds are slashing expenses. You are correct that it is becoming very difficult for the banks and investment managers to make money in this market. Of course, the Fed is there for now offering interest on required and excess reserves.The FED is destroying the money market industry, taking over the commercial paper industry and the only result is death to banks. If they lower long rates like they have the spreads will not be big enough to support our bohemoth banking industry and more unemployment will result with fewer larger and larger banks. I have no idea how stocks can go up with money managers piled into treasuries and charging fees on top of it. End result is a massively declining fund industry as well. Who wants to pay a money manager to buy US Treasuries? And it matters not if mtgs are 4.5 percent, if they are recourse loans even the few qualified will balk. Its all a smoke and mirrors game with the end result a declining standard of living for all and massive unemployment.
well, the Fed is well on-track for lowering interest rates to literally 0 by the end of January, as that one individual predicted.
remember, Bernanke has studied the Great Depression all his life, and in his eyes, the cause of the Great Depression was that the Fed did not expand the money supply fast enough or that they raised interest rates, so, in his world-view, the money supply should be increased and not decreased.
of course, he's dead wrong, and his actions are not...good...at all.