By DavidMerkel
| November 2011 | December 2011 | Comments |
| Information received since the Federal Open Market Committee met in September indicates that economic growth strengthened somewhat in the third quarter, reflecting in part a reversal of the temporary factors that had weighed on growth earlier in the year. | Information received since the Federal Open Market Committee met in November suggests that the economy has been expanding moderately, notwithstanding some apparent slowing in global growth. | Getting more optimistic about growth. I think they are going to get surprised on the downside again. |
| Nonetheless, recent indicators point to continuing weakness in overall labor market conditions, and the unemployment rate remains elevated. | While indicators point to some improvement in overall labor market conditions, the unemployment rate remains elevated. | The unemployment rate is down, but jobs aren’t being created, as people drop out of the labor force. This is improvement? |
| Household spending has increased at a somewhat faster pace in recent months. Business investment in equipment and software has continued to expand, but investment in nonresidential structures is still weak, and the housing sector remains depressed. | Household spending has continued to advance, but business fixedinvestment appears to be increasing less rapidly and the housing sector remains depressed. | Shades down their view on business investment. Shades up their view on consumer spending. |
| Inflation appears to have moderated since earlier in the year as prices of energy and some commodities have declined from their peaks. Longer-term inflation expectations have remained stable. | Inflation has moderated since earlier in the year, and longer-term inflation expectations have remained stable. | Gets more definite about inflation moderating, except that it hasn’t moderated. |
| Consistent with its statutory mandate, the Committee seeks to foster maximum employment and price stability. | Consistent with its statutory mandate, the Committee seeks to foster maximum employment and price stability. | No change. |
| The Committee continues to expect a moderate pace of economic growth over coming quarters and consequently anticipates that the unemployment rate will decline only gradually toward levels that the Committee judges to be consistent with its dual mandate. | The Committee continues to expect a moderate pace of economic growth over coming quarters and consequently anticipates that the unemployment rate will decline only gradually toward levels that the Committee judges to be consistent with its dual mandate. | No change. |
| Moreover, there are significant downside risks to the economic outlook, including strains in global financial markets. | Strains in global financial markets continue to pose significant downside risks to the economic outlook. | Focuses the risks on the financial sector, particularly as the risks in Europe & China could affect the US. “Not our fault!” |
| The Committee also anticipates that inflation will settle, over coming quarters, at levels at or below those consistent with the Committee’s dual mandate as the effects of past energy and other commodity price increases dissipate further.However, the Committee will continue to pay close attention to the evolution of inflation and inflation expectations. | The Committee also anticipates that inflation will settle, over coming quarters, at levels at or below those consistent with the Committee’s dual mandate. However, the Committee will continue to pay close attention to the evolution of inflation and inflation expectations. | Drops language on commodity prices. |
| To support a stronger economic recovery and to help ensure that inflation, over time, is at levels consistent with the dual mandate, the Committee decided today to continue its program to extend the average maturity of its holdings of securities as announced in September. The Committee is maintaining its existing policies of reinvesting principal payments from its holdings of agency debt and agency mortgage-backed securities in agency mortgage-backed securities and of rolling over maturing Treasury securities at auction. The Committee will regularly review the size and composition of its securities holdings and is prepared to adjust those holdings as appropriate. | To support a stronger economic recovery and to help ensure that inflation, over time, is at levels consistent with the dual mandate, the Committee decided today to continue its program to extend the average maturity of its holdings of securities as announced in September. The Committee is maintaining its existing policies of reinvesting principal payments from its holdings of agency debt and agency mortgage-backed securities in agency mortgage-backed securities and of rolling over maturing Treasury securities at auction. The Committee will regularly review the size and composition of its securities holdings and is prepared to adjust those holdings as appropriate. | No change. |
| The Committee also decided to keep the target range for the federal funds rate at 0 to 1/4 percent and currently anticipates that economic conditions–including low rates of resource utilization and a subdued outlook for inflation over the medium run–are likely to warrant exceptionally low levels for the federal funds rate at least through mid-2013. | The Committee also decided to keep the target range for the federal funds rate at 0 to 1/4 percent and currently anticipates that economic conditions–including low rates of resource utilization and a subdued outlook for inflation over the medium run–are likely to warrant exceptionally low levels for the federal funds rate at least through mid-2013. | No change. |
| The Committee will continue to assess the economic outlook in light of incoming information and is prepared to employ its tools to promote a stronger economic recovery in a context of price stability. | The Committee will continue to assess the economic outlook in light of incoming information and is prepared to employ its tools to promote a stronger economic recovery in a context of price stability. | No change. |
| Voting for the FOMC monetary policy action were: Ben S. Bernanke, Chairman; William C. Dudley, Vice Chairman; Elizabeth A. Duke; Richard W. Fisher; Narayana Kocherlakota; Charles I. Plosser; Sarah Bloom Raskin; Daniel K. Tarullo; and Janet L. Yellen. | Voting for the FOMC monetary policy action were: Ben S. Bernanke, Chairman; William C. Dudley, Vice Chairman; Elizabeth A. Duke; Richard W. Fisher; Narayana Kocherlakota; Charles I. Plosser; Sarah Bloom Raskin; Daniel K. Tarullo; and Janet L. Yellen. | No change. Won’t miss the hawks that weren’t. |
| Voting against the action was Charles L. Evans, who supported additional policy accommodation at this time. | Voting against the action was Charles L. Evans, who supported additional policy accommodation at this time. | No change. Won’t miss Evans. |
Comments
- The more I read the Fed statements, the more I think that they are paid to be Pollyannas. The rose-colored glasses are glued to their faces. There is never any criticism of their actions; blame always goes elsewhere. They are similar to modern teenagers that lack talent, but have incredible self-esteem.
- GDP growth is not improving much if at all, and the unemployment rate improvement comes more from discouraged workers. Inflation has not moderated significantly, either.
- They point to the risks coming from global financial markets. The Fed is the lead regulator in the US of banks and SIFIs; if trouble abroad leads to trouble here, they have no one to blame but themselves.
- In my opinion, I don’t think holding down longer-term rates on the highest-quality debt will have any impact on lower quality debts, which is where most of the economy is located.
- Also, the reinvestment in Agency MBS should have limited impact because so many owners are inverted, or ineligible for financing backed by the GSEs, and implicitly the government, even with the recently announced refinancing changes.
- The key variables on Fed Policy are capacity utilization, unemployment, inflation trends, and inflation expectations. As a result, the FOMC ain’t moving rates up, absent increases in employment, or a US Dollar crisis. Labor employment is the key metric.
- The Fed is out of good policy tools, so it will use bad policy tools instead.
Questions for Dr. Bernanke:
- Discouraged workers are a large factor in the falling unemployment rate. Why do you think the economy is doing so well at present?
- Why do you think that holding down longer-term rates on the highest-quality debt will have any impact on lower quality debts, which is where most of the economy is located?
- Why will reinvestment in Agency MBS help the economy significantly? Doesn’t that only help solvent borrowers on the low end of housing, who don’t really need the help?
- Couldn’t increased unemployment be structural, after all, there is a lot more competition from labor in emerging markets?
- Isn’t stagflation a possibility here? I mean, no one expected it in the ‘70s either.
- Could we end up with another debt bubble from keeping short rates so low?
- If the Fed ever does shrink its balance sheet, what effect will it have on the banks?
- Is it possible that you don’t really know what would have worked to solve the Great Depression, and you are just committing an entirely new error that will result in a larger problem for us later?
