What is the Plunge Protection Team and Can it Come to the Rescue?

What is the Plunge Protection Team and Can it Come to the Rescue? A sudden jump in stocks early Monday morning brought our conspiracy theorists...

What is the Plunge Protection Team and Can it Come to the Rescue?

A sudden jump in stocks early Monday morning brought our conspiracy theorists asking whether it was the Plunge Protection Team (PPT) behind the move.

I had never heard opt the PPT until one day many years agp a Global-View member posted the name on the Forex Forum. At first I was skeptical that this was a myth until I did some further research. ,

What is The Plunge Protection Team?

The Plunge Protection Team (originally called the Working Group on Financial Markets), was created by President Ronald Reagan. It was formed in response the October 19, 1987 stock market crash, often referred to as Black Monday, when indices dropped 22% in one day. .

It was formed to maintain stable financial markets, specifically during times of economic dtress or sharp moves down in equitiesa.

What is the Plunge Protection Team and Can it Come to the Rescue?

What is the goal of the PPT?

The goal was to maintain stable financial markets, specifically during times of economic stress that triggers sharp moves down in equities. The mission statement is to work in the background to calm markets by preventing financial panics or “plunges” in the price of stocks by helping to stabilize markets.

Members of PPT

The team includes high-level representatives from key U.S. financial agencies:

• Treasury Secretary
• Fed Chair
• SEC Chairman
• CFTC Chairman

What is the Plunge Protection Team and Can it Come to the Rescue?

How does the PPT function?

• Monitors financial markets to evaluate risks of sharp, disruptive moe down in equity prices.
• Coordinated actions If financial markets face a systemic risk that can result in a freefall in prices. For example,The Fed can change interest rates and/or add liquidity) to help stabilize markets.
• Direct interventions in the Treasury bond and/or or stock market (e.g. buying stocks and/or bonds)
• PPT can coordinate with other financial regulators to help maintains stAbility.

What is the Plunge Protection Team and Can it Come to the Rescue?

Does intervention work?

Those who trade in the forex market know that central bank interventions rarely work unless on a massive scaled (and left unsterilized) or accompanied by other central bank actions (e.g. changing interest rates). In addition, the more a central bank intervenes, the less impact it has unless, as noted, it is accompanied by other actions.

Likening this to the current tariff driven financial market crisis, any PPT interventions, should they occur, would only bring temporary relief unless there is a change in trade policy, its impact and/or sentiment over the risks associated with it.

In any case, the stated role of the Plunge Protection Team is to ensure stability, not to artificially support markets, and any interventions should only be used in extreme circumstances.

What is the Plunge Protection Team and Can it Come to the Rescue?

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