Paring Fed's big bond holdings may be messier than Yellen hopes

Washington

FEDERAL Reserve chair Janet Yellen has said she wants to shrink the central bank's US$4.5 trillion balance sheet in an "orderly and predictable way" that limits risks to the economy. The hurdles are high to getting that done.

The economic impact, the pace of the drawdown and its ultimate end point are all partly subject to forces beyond the Fed's control. That could mean that the financial markets and the economy may be in for more tumultuous times than Ms Yellen and her colleagues are hoping for.