The Federal Reserve Becomes the ‘Buyer of Last Resort’

by James Turk

November 29, 2009 – While the debate continues whether inflation or deflation will be the dollar’s eventual fate, the Federal Reserve is pursuing a pernicious policy that is insidiously debasing the dollar. This policy has generally been met with indifference, if it has even been noticed at all.

The inflation/deflation debate focuses only on the ‘quantity’ of dollars and completely fails to address an equally important monetary facet, the ‘quality’ of the dollar. The Federal Reserve is debasing the dollar by purchasing inferior assets of poor quality. These assets are mortgage-backed securities issued by federal agencies like the insolvent and for all practical purposes bankrupt, Fannie Mae.

These are assets neither the banks nor other investors want. If there was a demand for these assets, the Federal Reserve would not need to buy them. Instead of acting in its historical role as the ‘lender of last resort’, the Federal Reserve has on its own expanded its mandate to become the ‘buyer of last resort’.

By purchasing mortgage-backed securities, the Federal Reserve is debasing the dollar. Just how pervasive – and therefore serious – this debasement has become is apparent from the following chart prepared by by Businessinsider.com .

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