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US Government Debt Different - Finance Department - University of ...

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156Burning the Furniture to Heat the House – The Potential Role <strong>of</strong> Asset Sales in Funding the Federal <strong>Government</strong>’s DeficitsFigure 3: The Federal Reserve Cannot Defy Economic Gravity Forever2006 = 100400300200100Federal Reserve AssetsNominal GDP01980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010Sources: Federal Reserve; Bureau <strong>of</strong> Economic Analysis.Figure 4: U.S. Dollar Losing ValueU.S. Dollar Losing Prominence and ValuePercent1009080706050The Federal Reserve CannotDefy2006 = 100Economic Gravity Forever400Sources: Bank for International Settlements; International Monetary Fund; Federal Reserve.300200100Share <strong>of</strong> Global FX Transactions (LHS) 2001 = 100Share <strong>of</strong> Offical Global FX Reserves (LHS) 105Trade-Weighted Value (RHS)1002001 2004 2007 2010095908580Declining confidence in the dollar (itself a by-product <strong>of</strong> our fiscalstalemate) and Federal Reserve actions to reduce its balance sheetand contract the money supply will create significant headwinds for<strong>US</strong> government financing. Sales by the Federal Reserve <strong>of</strong> its nowsubstantial portfolio <strong>of</strong> Treasury securities will reduce prices and increaseTreasury borrowing rates; the <strong>of</strong>fering <strong>of</strong> term deposits willcompete with demand for Treasury bills; 6 the <strong>of</strong>fering <strong>of</strong> higher rates6 Goodfriend, M., Central Banking in the Credit Turmoil: An Assessment <strong>of</strong> FederalReserve Practices, Journal <strong>of</strong> Monetary Economics, pp. 1-12, Jan. 2011.

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