The Federal Reserve purchased around $2.5 billion of Treasurys in its first outright purchase of U.S. government debt since October, according to published reports. The Fed's aim was to prevent money from leaving the financial system.
To purchase Treasurys, the Fed is utiliziing the proceeds from maturing MBS. The purchases are considered the Fed's first try at bolstering the economy in over a year.
The Fed intends to keep holdings in the System Open Market Account or SOMA at approximately $2.054 trillion, which is the amount it held on Aug. 4, reports said.
The Fed bought 14 out of the 25 securities listed for possible purchase. The notes mature from August 2014 to February 2016, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York said Tuesday on its website.
