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$270 Billion Of POMOs To Date Running Ahead Of Schedule

Tyler Durden's picture




With ever increasing interest in the Fed's (in)direct monetization strategies, Zero Hedge is presenting detailed data highlighting the specific of all the 50 POMOs conducted to date. We are now compiling cost-basis information to determine what the cumulative hit to the Fed may have been as a result of price fluctuations of the repurchased Treasuries since issuance.

A chart of the cumulative POMO purchases versus the expected trendline through the program's termination in early October, demonstrates a slightly overzealous Fed, which at this rate of OMO purchases has enough dry powder to only last it through the second week of September. It seems QE for Treasuries will end some time in the next 20 days, whether the Fed likes it or not.




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Thu, 08/27/2009 - 09:23 | Link to Comment Project Mayhem
Project Mayhem's picture

" It seems QE for Treasuries will end some time in the next 20 days, whether the Fed likes it or not."

 

Very interesting.  Shall we take bets as to what happens?

Thu, 08/27/2009 - 10:34 | Link to Comment ghostfaceinvestah
ghostfaceinvestah's picture

They will stop reporting purchases at $300B?

Thu, 08/27/2009 - 10:38 | Link to Comment monmick
monmick's picture

Will QE end with a bang or a whimper?

Thu, 08/27/2009 - 10:39 | Link to Comment Dayton Ohio
Dayton Ohio's picture

mushroom cloud.

Thu, 08/27/2009 - 14:33 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Thu, 08/27/2009 - 09:25 | Link to Comment Cognitive Dissonance
Cognitive Dissonance's picture

Unfortunately, it will end when the un-audited private-for-profit Federal Reserve decides it will end.

Thu, 08/27/2009 - 09:26 | Link to Comment fireangelmaverick
fireangelmaverick's picture

You mean Officially end TD?

Thu, 08/27/2009 - 09:26 | Link to Comment chicagopwj (not verified)
Thu, 08/27/2009 - 09:30 | Link to Comment Project Mayhem
Project Mayhem's picture

hahahah

Thu, 08/27/2009 - 10:59 | Link to Comment Señor Tranche
Señor Tranche's picture

Fact: a lot of people working at the Fed do not like the current policies

Fact: a lot of the afformentioned people would be able to see it if the Fed purchased more treasuries

Fact: some of them would spread the documents publicly through ZH, etc. or through the "mainstream" media.

If the Fed wants to continue the QE through purchases of treasuries it will not be able to do it without being noticed.  Though I'm sure there are backdoor ways of continuing the QE that I don't know about. 

Thu, 08/27/2009 - 11:16 | Link to Comment SV
SV's picture

Yes, some of which are purchasing MBS and agency debt.

Thu, 08/27/2009 - 09:27 | Link to Comment chicagopwj (not verified)
Thu, 08/27/2009 - 09:27 | Link to Comment mgarrett84
mgarrett84's picture

One thing I have been contemplating is the shift from treasury purchases to CMBS.  We know the direct mechanical impact of the treasury impacts.  Do CMBS have a bigger impact since their is higher loan loss reserves associated with them since they are risky?  Not sure of the mechanics of this but I would guess that these operations would impact velocity more than money supply.   Any thoughts?  

Thu, 08/27/2009 - 10:33 | Link to Comment rapier
rapier's picture

Ben in his recent statement at the hearing rather cryptically suggested a "fiscal" reponse to the commercial real estate problem. Nobody followed up on this. If only I had been there I would have asked what this might look like.  A $3trillion appropriation given to Donald Trump?

 

Not that he wouldn't like to do it. Buy up CMBS's that is but it's a bridge too far. The universe is too small and the selection of winners and losers would be too easily ID'd.

Thu, 08/27/2009 - 16:12 | Link to Comment iknowNOW (not verified)
Thu, 08/27/2009 - 09:32 | Link to Comment Stevm30
Stevm30's picture

It would be interesting to see the same break out of mortgage security purchases.  Does the FED publish that?

Thu, 08/27/2009 - 10:36 | Link to Comment ghostfaceinvestah
ghostfaceinvestah's picture

Yup.

http://www.ny.frb.org/markets/mbs/

You need to look at net, not gross, purchases, because they do sell the front month to roll their purchases, etc.

Thu, 08/27/2009 - 09:47 | Link to Comment Fish Gone Bad
Fish Gone Bad's picture

I came across a similar comment while reading Dorsch ( http://www.marketoracle.co.uk/Article11862.html ) ...

“Maintaining the confidence of the financial markets requires that we begin planning now for the restoration of fiscal balance. Either cuts in spending or increases in taxes will be necessary to stabilize the fiscal situation. The Fed will not monetize the debt!” Bernanke’s pledge to stop the printing presses after August was a grand omission of Washington’s subservience to its paymasters in Beijing.


Thu, 08/27/2009 - 11:22 | Link to Comment SV
SV's picture

I always like to read for a game of "Where's Waldo?"  Read a statement and determine what is missing.  If it's a statement of parameters, like what won't be done, then read for what WILL be done.  Monetization is verboten implying other outcomes like forced devalutation.

 

Thu, 08/27/2009 - 09:53 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Thu, 08/27/2009 - 09:54 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Thu, 08/27/2009 - 11:41 | Link to Comment Assetman
Assetman's picture

QE is not really ending when you still have ample capacity to purchase crappy agency MBS.

With an end to Treasury purchases, however, the Fed will lose control over the direction of the risk-free yield-- unless he's found a proxy to make purchases through the back door.

Never underestimate what Uncle Ben is doing... as criminal as it is, he's been pretty crafty so far.

Thu, 08/27/2009 - 10:03 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Thu, 08/27/2009 - 10:04 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Thu, 08/27/2009 - 10:40 | Link to Comment ghostfaceinvestah
ghostfaceinvestah's picture

They would be buying them from mostly the larger mortgage originators - WFC, JPM, BAC, etc.

You can get current prices on the FIT screen on bloomberg.  FIT <go>

Historical prices you can guess at by looking at MTGEFNCL to see where par was on any given day.  They don't disclose daily purchases, just weekly.

Thu, 08/27/2009 - 11:43 | Link to Comment Assetman
Assetman's picture

I suggest you send a FOIA request to the Fed asking those same questions-- and see what reaction you will get.

Perhaps you could forward it to Bloomberg and have them send it.

Thu, 08/27/2009 - 10:05 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Thu, 08/27/2009 - 10:06 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Thu, 08/27/2009 - 10:06 | Link to Comment jg
jg's picture

Great work, TD!

Thu, 08/27/2009 - 10:09 | Link to Comment Printfaster
Printfaster's picture

Who gives a rat's tail about POMOs?  When the Fed quit posting TOMOs at the first of the year, they are hiding the elephant(TOMO) in the room and we are staring at a mouse (POMO).

TOMOs that roll every time are no different than a POMO.  What is anyone's guess what the level of TOMOs is?  One Trillion?  Two Trillion?  TALF alone is a quarter trill.

Thu, 08/27/2009 - 11:19 | Link to Comment in debt we trust
in debt we trust's picture

TOMO purchasess are not as liquid as POMO treasuries.  This would (theoretically) prevent the TOMO beneficiaries from liquidity right off the bat.

Thu, 08/27/2009 - 10:07 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Thu, 08/27/2009 - 10:14 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Thu, 08/27/2009 - 10:23 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Thu, 08/27/2009 - 10:30 | Link to Comment poydras
poydras's picture

Good point RE the TOMOs.  Agree that we need to look at all the QE in whatever form.  Probably best to look at it via the Fed balance sheet.  Including the swap of Ts for more speculative paper, anywhere from 1.5 to 2T of effective QE has occurred.

Buying 1T+ of MBS is the bigger elephant.  All roads seem to lead to devaluation.  One morning, the President will announce a devaluation.

Thu, 08/27/2009 - 10:38 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Thu, 08/27/2009 - 11:18 | Link to Comment AnonymousMonetarist
AnonymousMonetarist's picture

Credit weasling at the Federales laundromat is a shell game.

http://anonymousmonetarist.blogspot.com/2009/08/at-no-time-do-my-hands-leave-my-arms.html

Thu, 08/27/2009 - 12:00 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Thu, 08/27/2009 - 13:12 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Fri, 08/28/2009 - 10:44 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Fri, 08/28/2009 - 20:53 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Fri, 08/28/2009 - 20:50 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Sat, 08/29/2009 - 19:03 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Sat, 08/29/2009 - 19:05 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Sun, 08/30/2009 - 09:40 | Link to Comment Ned Zeppelin
Ned Zeppelin's picture

the size of all available gold is dwarfed by the enormity of the debt.  Gold's ultimate valeu in the face of all this is a complete crap shoot.  The future value of ammo, guns, cigarettes and gasoline are more easily predicted.

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