Improving US jobs growth led to Federal Reserve taper
Federal Reserve members mostly agreed about a reduction in the
Central Bank's stimulus efforts in December, meeting minutes released on
Wednesday revealed.
The Central Bank announced a $10 billion (£6.1 billion) a month
reduction in the bond buying program at the end of its December meeting.
They decided to decrease stimulus efforts in 'measured steps' to
avoid surprising markets. Better than expected job growth was one reason
cited for the pullback.
Some members, however, worried that financial markets might
misinterpret the move.
During the summer of 2013, comments made by outgoing chairman Ben
Bernanke indicating a reduction in stimulus efforts caused market
volatility and a steep increase in mortgage rates.
However, by the time an easing of the program, known as quantitative
easing, was announced in December, investors were more relaxed about the
move.
All three US indexes posted gains of more than 25% in 2013.
In December, the Fed cut its purchases of mortgage bonds and US
Treasury bonds from $85 billion a month to $75 billion a month in a move
known as a 'taper'.
Most analysts expect that if US economic conditions continue to
improve, the bank will continue to cut its purchases by $10 billion
after each policy meeting this year.
Fed members were eager to reassure markets that a reduction in bond
buying did not indicate the bank was completely withdrawing its support
of the US economy.
Some members pushed for a change in language that would show the
Central Bank planned to keep short term interest rates low.
As a result, in its December statement, the Fed said it would keep
the short-term rate low 'well past' the time the unemployment rate falls
below 6.5%, as long as inflation remained in check.
Some members advocated changing the unemployment threshold to 6%, but
that measure was overruled.
The next US jobs report is due to be released on Friday. Members also
discussed the long road ahead to re-normalise monetary policy. As a
result of its extraordinary stimulus efforts, the Fed has purchased over
$4 trillion worth of bonds since the 2008-2009 financial collapse - a
move that has worried many US politicians.
Incoming head Janet Yellen, who will take over from Bernanke on
February 1, has to decide how and when the bank will sell those bonds
and return to its traditional task of raising and lowering the short
term interest rate.
BBC
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