Goldman: QE2 Could Be $2 Trillion

Goldman Sachs GS said this morning that it thinks the eventual dollar amount on QE2 could be $2 trillion when all is said and done. Chief economist Jan Hatzius said that the Fed could do a purchase of $500 billion over a span of 6 months, or do a $100 billion a month program. In a note to investors, Hatzius wrote, "“But as with any monetary easing or tightening campaign, the key strategic question is not the size of the first step, but how far Fed officials will ultimately need to move in order to achieve their dual mandate of low inflation and maximum sustainable employment." Bank of America Merrill Lynch sees the Fed doing quantitative easing in the neighborhood of $1 trillion, and HSBC HBC suggested $1.5 billion. A trillion here and a trillion there, and soon we'll be talking about real money. We'll all find out what happens on November 3, at the end of the meeting. It's going to be a market mover, to say the least.