QEIII: Would Asset Prices Rise as Much as They Did Under QEII?

The Federal Reserve might soon announce another round of quantitative easing. Reports vary as to when the central bank will initiate the new plan, but many reports seem to be pointing to an announcement in August. The previous round, known as QE2, had a buffering effect on asset prices. The coming round is expected to have a similar effect. The head of US interest rate strategy at UBS (NYSE:UBS) today said that a third round worth $600 billion in asset buys would be both practical and defensible by the Fed. That would represent a buy of $250 billion in mortgage backed securities and…