Is it Time to worry about the Dollar??

The Fed’s so-called “QE2″ (Quantitative Easing/second round) which is purchasing of U.S. Treasury bonds by printing more and more currency notes to fulfill its purchases are supposed to come to an end on June 30, 2011, which would make July a crucial month – for the US economy, for the performance of the dollar and most of all for the Emerging Markets like INDIA.

For the last two years, the U.S. economy has been supported by the twin catalysts of fiscal and monetary stimuli. Fiscal stimulus seems to continue for some time as US have year’s $1.6 trillion deficit. But monetary stimulus is another matter. 

Since QE2 began in November 2010, the Fed has been buying about two-thirds of the Treasury bonds issued – or about $600 billion ($60,000 Cr) of the $900 billion ($90,000 Cr) in total bonds to be issued between November and June. Simply extending QE2 won’t solve this problem. The Fed would then be buying both too much of debt and not enough of debt at a same time.

Treasury bond purchases of $75 billion ($7,500 Cr) a month would be enough to push inflation sharply upwards. This is, after all, the very same policy that gave the German Weimar Republic its trillion-percent inflation. On the other hand, even if the Fed buys $75 billion ($7,500 Cr) of Treasuries a month, this will bring with them the need to place an additional $75 billion ($7,500 Cr) worth of bonds every month. And with inflation rapidly accelerating, the chances of a bond market and dollar crisis would still be great, which will affect the flows of foreign money (FII’s money) to the emerging markets like India. This is a concern!!!!

The one way to avoid the Death of the Dollar

With the U.S. market struggling under the burden of rising inflation and some ill-advised monetary and fiscal moves, the death of the dollar is looming as a worst-case – but still possible – scenario.

The Fed has one chance to avoid this outcome. Just to have a chance of staying level with inflation. U.S. central bank policymakers must boost short-term interest rates at least to the 3% level. That would burst the global commodities bubble like one in Sliver, and reduce inflationary pressures. With that, the Fed could then –continue with a “modified QE3.” For instance, it could buy $50 billion ($5,000 Cr) of bonds in the third quarter and $25 billion ($2,500 Cr) in the fourth quarter, thus breaking the Treasury bond market. With inflationary pressure reduced by the interest-rate increase, the chances of a Treasury-bond-market meltdown would thus be reduced to almost zero. Interest rates would rise and bond prices would decline, but it will be in an orderly manner. And inflation, if it continued, would do so at a more-moderate pace.

In fact, even inflation – should it remain stronger-than-desired – could be moderated, simply by raising rates a bit more, perhaps in several increments. And the U.S. dollar would be saved. There’s only one problem with this scenario and that won’t happen unless Bernanke won’t boost rates.

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