[뉴스토마토 김혜실기자] 미국 연방준비제도이사회(FRB)가 경기둔화를 인정하고, 양적완화정책을 재개하기로 했다.
10일(현지시간) FRB는 연방공개시장위원회(FOMC) 회의를 통해 추가 완화정책을 담은 성명서를 제출했다.
FRB는 공식적으로 최근의 경기 둔화세를 인정했다.
성명서에서 "생산과 고용 회복세가 둔화되면서 예상보다 회복이 더디다"며 "가계소비는 점진적으로 늘고 있으나 고실업률, 더딘 소득증가율, 주택가격 하락, 신용위축 등으로 회복이 제약되고 있다"고 평가했다.
이번에 제시된 부양책으로는 우선 금리동결이다.
FRB 기준금리인 연방기금금리(FFR) 목표치를 현재의 0~0.25%에서 그대로 유지키로 하고, 초저금리를 '상당기간'유지한다는 문구도 유지했다.
이로써 기준금리는 19개월째 제로수준을 유지하게 됐다.
또 만기 모기지증권에서 발생하는 현금을 미국 국채에 재투자하기로 했다. 만기되는 국채 역시 다시 재투자할 예정이다.
더불어 FRB는 경제 전망과 금융시장 상황을 계속 모니터하면서 경기회복과 물가안정을 증진하는데 필요한 정책적 수단들을 채택할 것이라 밝혔다.
다음은 FOMC 성명서 전문.
Information received since the Federal Open Market Committee met in June indicates that the pace of recovery in output and employment has slowed in recent months.
Household spending is increasing gradually, but remains constrained by high unemployment, modest income growth, lower housing wealth, and tight credit. Business spending on equipment and software is rising; however, investment in nonresidential structures continues to be weak and employers remain reluctant to add to payrolls. Housing starts remain at a depressed level. Bank lending has continued to contract. Nonetheless, the Committee anticipates a gradual return to higher levels of resource utilization in a context of price stability, although the pace of economic recovery is likely to be more modest in the near term than had been anticipated.
Measures of underlying inflation have trended lower in recent quarters and, with substantial resource slack continuing to restrain cost pressures and longer-term inflation expectations stable, inflation is likely to be subdued for some time.
The Committee will maintain the target range for the federal funds rate at 0 to 1/4 percent and continues to anticipate that economic conditions, including low rates of resource utilization, subdued inflation trends, and stable inflation expectations, are likely to warrant exceptionally low levels of the federal funds rate for an extended period.
To help support the economic recovery in a context of price stability, the Committee will keep constant the Federal Reserve's holdings of securities at their current level by reinvesting principal payments from agency debt and agency mortgage-backed securities in longer-term Treasury securities.1 The Committee will continue to roll over the Federal Reserve's holdings of Treasury securities as they mature.
The Committee will continue to monitor the economic outlook and financial developments and will employ its policy tools as necessary to promote economic recovery and price stability.
Voting for the FOMC monetary policy action were: Ben S. Bernanke, Chairman; William C. Dudley, Vice Chairman; James Bullard; Elizabeth A. Duke; Donald L. Kohn; Sandra Pianalto; Eric S. Rosengren; Daniel K. Tarullo; and Kevin M. Warsh.
Voting against the policy was Thomas M. Hoenig, who judges that the economy is recovering modestly, as projected. Accordingly, he believed that continuing to express the expectation of exceptionally low levels of the federal funds rate for an extended period was no longer warranted and limits the Committee's ability to adjust policy when needed. In addition, given economic and financial conditions, Mr. Hoenig did not believe that keeping constant the size of the Federal Reserve's holdings of longer-term securities at their current level was required to support a return to the Committee's policy objectives.