Fed to Buy as Much Government Debt as Needed to Aid Economy

Fed to Buy as Much Government Debt as Needed to Aid Economy
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell pauses during a news conference in Washington, on March 3, 2020. AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin
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WASHINGTON—In its boldest effort to protect the economy from the CCP virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus, the Federal Reserve says it will buy as much government debt as it deems necessary and will also begin lending to small and large businesses and local governments to help them weather the crisis.

The Fed’s announcement Monday removes any dollar limits from its plans to support the flow of credit through an economy that has been ravaged by the viral outbreak. The central bank’s all-out effort has now gone beyond even the extraordinary drive it made to rescue the economy from the 2008 financial crisis.