"Pimco, a unit of German financial-services firm Allianz SE, was one of four firms the central bank hired to help it buy agency MBS in 2009 under the first phase of quantitative easing, called QE1. In essence, these firms collaborated with the Fed on writing its playbook for the program. The aim was to stimulate lending and spending by driving down interest rates through mass purchases of bonds, flooding the market with cash.
Two of the other three Fed helpers - Goldman Sachs Group Inc and BlackRock Inc - also scored big returns on bond funds during the program. However, they didn't bet on agency MBS to the degree Pimco did. Reuters was unable to determine whether the fourth contractor, advisory firm Wellington Management Co, was advising any funds trading mortgage securities at the time.
RARE CONFIDENCE
Pimco, by contrast, exhibited a rare confidence in its agency MBS trading. At one point in March 2009, for example, 91 percent of the Total Return Fund's assets were in agency MBS, according to data from investment research firm Morningstar Inc. That level was unusual for the fund and far exceeds that of any comparable fund at the time. By contrast, agency MBS accounted for 38.7 percent of assets in the Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index, the industry benchmark.
In his January 2009 web posting, Gross said Pimco's aim was to "shake hands with the government." And in an interview with Reuters in February this year, he said: "It is a good strategy to anticipate what the Fed is going to do, and when they do it, to cooperate with them. ⦠So that is what we've been doing.""
Read more:
http://www.businessinsider.com/how-...-fed--and-made-a-killing-2013-9#ixzz2gDxOexSO
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Quote from Ghost of Cutten.
When you have two competing explanations: a convoluted conspiracy requiring coordinated Machiavellian genius across the entire government/business establishment; or plain bureaucratic incompetence and human stupidity - always go with the latter.
Quote from jem:
or perhaps... another option.
Almost everything released by the govt and and the Fed is pre spun content released to serve a purpose.
One of the entities who owns the Fed decided they want to taper off the QE. However when the fed floats that idea the markets get hammered. So this time they have stepped it up a level.
They phone over to lead stage actor Bernanke and ask his staff to get someone to write up a paper showing QE had no real effect. They let Ben decide which Fed bank can release the paper.
He likes to spread the love around to each bank. (Note they have been set up as doves or hawks or geeks as part of the plan to look like there is real governance going on. Its beautiful.... every time the Fed is taking heat some new story comes out about a few of the Fed governors agreeing with the contra Fed crowd. The press acts like there is real struggle going on behind the scenes but the steady hand of the Fed chair wins the day)
Next will we see buffet or some pimco person or someone else who has been given a seat at the trough to get on CNBC and some other news channels to support the idea.
Then if necessary we have someone do an interview with Greenspan... acting like he was against the whole idea because he knew QE would never work.