No More Monetizing Debt, Dallas Fed’s Fisher Says

Richard Fisher, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, said Wednesday that the Fed should discontinue its Treasury purchases.

Though he was not a voter when quantitative easing was approved, Fisher told an audience in New York that he opposed the purchase of $600 billion of Treasuries, according to prepared text of his speech released by the Fed. He said the purchases were equivalent to all newly issued Treasury debt through June and makes the Fed look like “an accomplice” to fiscal nonfeasance by Congress.

“We must vigilantly protect the integrity of our delicate franchise,” Fisher said, adding that when central banks regularly monetize government debt, the outcome is ruinous.

“Barring some unexpected shock to the economy or financial system, I think we have reached our limit,” he said. “I would be wary of further expanding our balance sheet.”

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