Fed’s $4 trillion in assets draws lawmakers’ scrutiny — from bloomberg.com by Jeff Kearns

Excerpt:

The Federal Reserve’s balance sheet is poised to exceed $4 trillion, prompting warnings its record easing is inflating asset-price bubbles and drawing renewed lawmaker scrutiny just as Janet Yellen prepares to take charge.

From DSC:

  • What does it mean that the Fed has close to $4 trillion in assets? So what? What implications/effects might that have?
  • What is easing?
  • Why is easing good or bad? When does one know when to stop the easing?
  • Why does Wall Street pay very close attention to what Ben Bernanke says?  Is that a good thing or a bad thing?
  • What do you think…does Main Street know what’s happening as thoroughly as Wall Street does?