Replies to post #14530 on The Rising Influence of Rising Affluence

[DewDiligence]

I don't see that happening. Even if the Fed thought buying stocks were a good idea, imagine the political squabbling over which stocks—or which index funds—to buy.

Moreover, the Fed is now tightening interest rates, albeit slowly, so there is no need for the Fed to engage in any asset-purchase program.

The zerohedge article you posted contends that required IRA withdrawals at age 70.5 will put significant downward pressure on stocks. This is a silly premise, IMO, for several reasons: 1) Withdrawals from ordinary IRAs can be spread out over one's actuarial lifetime rather than taking it all at once; 2) There are no required withdrawals for Roth IRAs; and 3) After paying income taxes on the amount withdrawn, holders of ordinary IRAs can reinvest the rest of the withdrawn amount back into stocks.