• 16 Dec 2008 at 2:35 PM

Japanic Sets In

The Federal Open Market Committee decided today to establish a target range for the federal funds rate of 0 to 1/4 percent.

Considering that the latest ARM resets and Alt-A issues haven’t even begun to rise to the surface, I think we can confidently say that the Treasury and the Fed might have to turn to the balance sheet (again) sooner rather than later. Nay?
What bubble might we “accidentally” inflate next?
[Mondovisione]

Comments (33)

  1. Posted by AJ | December 16, 2008 at 2:44 PM

    With 0% interest rates, what bubble will we not inflate?

  2. Posted by guest | December 16, 2008 at 2:45 PM

    Accidentally?
    What makes you think any of these bubbles are “accidental?”

  3. Posted by ep | December 16, 2008 at 2:47 PM

    “Posted by guest, Dec 16, 2008 2:45PM
    Accidentally?
    What makes you think any of these bubbles are “accidental?”"
    Hence the quotes, swifty.

  4. Posted by guest | December 16, 2008 at 2:50 PM

    Japanic at the Disco

  5. Posted by guest | December 16, 2008 at 2:50 PM

    @ 2 thank you sir/madame, there is lunch on my screen

  6. Posted by guest | December 16, 2008 at 2:50 PM

    lol @ “swifty”

  7. Posted by guest | December 16, 2008 at 2:51 PM

    In the long run we are all dead.

  8. Posted by guest | December 16, 2008 at 2:54 PM

    Effective Fed Funds has been 0-25 bps since 12/4. Seems like a case of the target rate getting a cue from the effective rate rather than the other way around.

  9. Posted by guest | December 16, 2008 at 2:55 PM

    @8 – very true.
    @3 – if you were a Mason, Commission Member, or Rose Crustacean* you would know the truth.
    *don’t correct me – it was intentional

  10. Posted by guest | December 16, 2008 at 2:57 PM

    we’re halfway there. just need to change fair value accounting to stop the write downs on bad bank roans.

  11. Posted by guest | December 16, 2008 at 2:57 PM

    Whoops – 11 here – meant @2 not @3

  12. Posted by guest | December 16, 2008 at 2:59 PM

    Next bubble. Ammunition and canned goods.
    Repent!

  13. Posted by guest | December 16, 2008 at 3:00 PM

    CAN CRAMER BE ANY MORE WRONG, IDIOTIC, RETARDED, NON-SENSICAL????
    I think he’s given up on maintaining that last shred of credibility and gone off the deep end. schmuck. wow, can’t believe i just had to watch that. dumb. i’m dumber now.

  14. Posted by guest | December 16, 2008 at 3:04 PM

    @15 – yes, he can. Just keep watching.

  15. Posted by guest | December 16, 2008 at 3:05 PM

    affraid of a hangover…just keep drinking baby!!

  16. Posted by guest | December 16, 2008 at 3:09 PM

    Holy Fuck, what are all those Chinooks doing landing on the lawn at the Federal Reserve? And where the Hell did they get all those forklifts?

  17. Posted by guest | December 16, 2008 at 3:20 PM

    wow the money supply is gonna balloon.. gonna cause massive inflation (devaluation of the dollar monetary style.. not actual real value of goods/services increasing)
    With that in mind with rates low and housing prices puked.. now may be a great time to buy a place!! (and lock in a loan at uninflated dollars)

  18. Posted by guest | December 16, 2008 at 3:23 PM

    For those of us not watching Cramer… what’s he saying?

  19. Posted by KevinB | December 16, 2008 at 3:37 PM

    @11 – I don’t understand; what do you have against pink crabs?
    If you choose to respond, please do so at maximum volume, lest you be drowned out by the presses.

  20. Posted by guest | December 16, 2008 at 3:39 PM

    @ 20
    Yes.

  21. Posted by guest | December 16, 2008 at 3:40 PM

    get rid of cash because in six months we will be using it to wallpaper.
    What a way to get rid of the national debt! Talk about creative financing.
    Can you say Germany in the 30′s
    Can I buy a loaf of bread with my truckload of dollars? NO!
    Hi Hitler!

  22. Posted by guest | December 16, 2008 at 3:48 PM
  23. Posted by guest | December 16, 2008 at 3:52 PM

    This just in. Bukkake purchases additional printing presses to keep Mexico from buying Arizona, Canada from annexing Wisconsin; and Hawaii becoming a Japanese protectorate.

  24. Posted by guest | December 16, 2008 at 4:02 PM

    bernanke’s final utterance at today’s meeting: “deploy the helicopters.”

  25. Posted by guest | December 16, 2008 at 4:07 PM

    Japan did not have a huge national debt to get rid of when they had 0% interest but America does have 11 trillion to inflate to worthless paper.
    Americans do not save or are negative savers. Japanese had saved a lot before that time of 0%.
    Japanese did have very inflated real estate which afterwards it did not. America has a bunch of worthless TARP paper with real estate that is worth less than the market can support due to fraud by lenders and appraisers and bankers.
    Whats the point of having 0% interest?

  26. Posted by guest | December 16, 2008 at 4:10 PM

    @28. “Chinooks won’t cut it. Release the Hinds.”

  27. Posted by guest | December 16, 2008 at 4:15 PM

    The point of 0% interest rates is to
    1) make the dollar less valuable so foreign governments can buy our assets (e.g. real estate) on the cheap
    2)force Americans to spend their money because you sure as hell aren’t going to be rewarded for saving it
    3)scorch the earth so Obama can’t grow anything

  28. Posted by guest | December 16, 2008 at 4:18 PM

    Seignorage of this sort is a pretty logical move in the face of slow money/deflation. I mean, the gov’t is seeking to fund stimulus projects by issuing debt at close to zero percent interest rates–with the coupon denominated in dollars–then devaluing the dollar (essentially) through FOMC action, with the tradeoff being the spectre of inflation–which just isn’t the most immediate danger right now. Doesn’t seem like a bad move on paper. The government is involved though, so there is some significant execution risk here.
    @24 You’ve #REF!ed up the decade: that was Germany in the ’20s. The ’30s had lots of repetitive marching and glass breaking, but no wheelbarrows full of worthless scrip.

  29. Posted by guest | December 16, 2008 at 4:25 PM

    @32 #REF!ed…classic
    God we’re all such losers…

  30. Posted by guest | December 16, 2008 at 4:26 PM

    so whats the ETA on this “hyperinflation”

  31. Posted by guest | December 16, 2008 at 7:35 PM

    @24
    Obama = Hitler? OH SHI-

  32. Posted by guest | December 16, 2008 at 9:29 PM

    @20
    who borrows money to buy a house? if you can’t pay for it you can’t afford it

  33. Posted by guest | December 17, 2008 at 8:43 AM

    i think 95%+ of homeowners borrow (or have borrowed) money to buy a house.

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