Federal Reserve

Bernanke is trying to save his reputation with this minor reduction of QE, pretending he hasn't painted the Fed and our whole economy into a corner.

"But more important than the taper “surprise” was the unusually dovish language in which the Fed decided to wrap its seemingly bitter pill. Today’s statement goes significantly farther than any prior communications in assuring that interest policy, its main monetary tool, will remain far more accommodative, for far longer, than anyone previously predicted. In fact, they have now committed themselves to keep rates at zero until “well after” the unemployment rate has fallen below 6.5%. On this score the Fed is not simply moving the goalposts, they are running away with them."

More evidence our rulers intend to loot every last dime from us until we're back to the stone age.

"With such amorphous language in place the FOMC appears to be hoping that it will never have to face a day of reckoning in which they will be forced to actually raise rates. On that score they are similar to the legislators on Capitol Hill who want to pretend that America will never have to pay down its debt."

It's going to be ugly.

"As the amount of bonds on their books surpass the $4 trillion threshold, market watchers need to dispel illusions that the Fed has any intention to actually shrink its balance sheet, or even stop its growth. Already fears of such moves have pushed up yields on 10-year Treasuries to multi-year highs. Any actual tightening could push them significantly higher."

They can't let that happen.