Four Things to Watch at Fed Meeting
- QE strategy: he notes that the ‘activist wing’ of the Fed wants a large, open-ended commitment to bond buying.
- What to do with Twist: the Fed must decide to do about Operation Twist. The program could be suspended and replaced, or a new MBS program could be launched at the same time
- Communication: cites this paper and says ‘Fed seems to be moving’ in the direction of committing to easy policy until the Fed meets economic targets
- Whether to lower another rate: the Fed could lower interest on reserves but ‘it’s unclear whether the Fed will do anything on this front.’
Overall, no strong hints about what the Fed will do. I don’t believe Hilsenrath has any inside info but others do.