Death, (rising) taxes, and shorting stocks on POMO days resulting in lots of margin pain: those were the near certainties of 2013 even admitted by the US Treasury [4]. So how does the first POMO schedule of 2014 look like? [5]Well, as is by now well-known, the Fed will taper its monthly purchase of Treasury securities by $5 billion so instead of the old $45 billion per month, the NY Fed will "only" monetize $40 billion next month. However, since the reduction will be prorated across all POMO days, the old maxim still stands: shorting stocks on these POMO days can and likely will be hazardous for your health. Of note: no POMOs in the first week of the year until Monday January 6.
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