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Fed to buy $105B worth of government bonds in first phase of economic aid program


WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Federal Reserve will buy a total of $105 billion worth of government bonds starting later this week as it launches a new program to invigorate the economy.

The bonds will be purchased through a series of 18 operations that start on Friday and end on Dec. 9, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York said Wednesday. The purchases are the first since the Fed announced last week that it will buy a total of $600 billion worth of Treasury bonds over the next eight months.

The Fed will buy $75 billion of government debt as part of the new program. And, it will buy another $30 billion, using the proceeds from its vast mortgage portfolio.

That totals $105 billion for the first phase of the Fed's government bond buying. The Fed last week said it anticipates buying on average $110 billion a month.

The Fed's announcement on Wednesday helped boost stocks and bond prices.