Zhi Tong Cai Jing·2025-12-27 23:29Core Viewpoint - The report from Shenwan Hongyuan indicates that the Federal Reserve's initiation of Reserve Management Purchases (RMP) after the December 2025 FOMC meeting has sparked optimism for a "QE-style" liquidity easing, but in reality, it marks the end of the QE era rather than a restart [1] Group 1: RMP and Normalization of Balance Sheet - The Federal Reserve has entered a new phase of "normalization" in balance sheet expansion with the announcement of RMP, which slightly exceeded expectations but aligns with liquidity management needs [2] - By the end of 2025, reserves are expected to have declined to an ample level, necessitating early balance sheet expansion to accommodate economic growth and seasonal demand fluctuations [2] - RMP will be implemented starting December 12, with an initial scale of $40 billion, expected to remain high until April 2026, after which it may slow to an average of $20-25 billion per month [2] Group 2: Nature of RMP vs. QE - RMP is fundamentally a technical operation aimed at assisting effective monetary policy implementation without altering the Fed's policy stance, primarily focusing on interest rate policy [3] - While both RMP and QE lead to balance sheet expansion, they differ fundamentally; RMP is a routine liquidity management operation, whereas QE is a broader "yield curve management" strategy [3] - RMP is not a new tool, having been implemented after the end of balance sheet reduction in October 2019, and its pace of normalization may align with nominal GDP growth rates [3] Group 3: Conclusion on QE - The report concludes that the Fed is unlikely to restart QE before returning to a zero or near-zero interest rate environment, as the internal order of monetary easing dictates that rate cuts are more effective in stimulating demand prior to hitting the zero lower bound [4] - Historical instances of QE-like balance sheet expansions occurred only after reaching zero interest rates, indicating that the Fed may need to wait for the next crisis to consider restarting QE [4] - In conventional monetary policy ranges, interest rates serve as the primary indicator of policy stance, making it unnecessary to focus excessively on the Fed's balance sheet operations [4]