This is the opposite of QE - Quantitative Easing - that the Fed did during the mortgage meltdown and later to "help" with covid.
Via Google AI. Thanks for the information.
Quantitative tapering is a central bank monetary policy where the pace of asset purchases is reduced to withdraw economic stimulus. It is the incremental reversal of a quantitative easing (QE) strategy. Tapering is a phase that transitions from QE to quantitative tightening (QT), during which the central bank reduces the amount of new assets it buys before fully stopping and then shrinking its balance sheet.
Quantitative tapering in context
Quantitative Easing (QE): The central bank buys large quantities of government bonds and other securities to inject money into the financial system. This lowers long-term interest rates to encourage lending and economic growth.
The Tapering Phase: Once the economy improves, the central bank slows the rate of these asset purchases. While the central bank is still expanding its balance sheet, it is doing so at a slower pace.
Quantitative Tightening (QT): After tapering is complete, the central bank reduces the size of its balance sheet, usually by letting maturing bonds expire without reinvesting the proceeds. This reduces the money supply and increases long-term interest rates to help combat inflation.
Market Impact: The announcement of tapering can sometimes cause market volatility, as investors react to the signal of reduced central bank support. This is sometimes referred to as a “taper tantrum
The problem with the Federal Reserve is that they are sitting on a lot of MBS issued in the 2% to 3.5% range which means they can’t sell that without taking a substantial hit since current mortgage rates are much higher. All they can do is put it out to the Repo Market and borrow money against it at 4.5% in over-night lending which means they earning 2% to 3.5% interest on the underling securities but paying 4.5% to borrow against them, not a winning strategy.