We argue that the issuance of central bank reserves per se can matter for the effectof central bank large-scale asset purchases-commonly known as quantitative easing- on long-term interest rates. This effect is independent of the assets purchased, and runs through a reserve-induced portfolio...

This paper presents a portfolio model of asset price effects arising from large-scale asset purchases by central banks — commonly known as quantitative easing (QE). Two financial frictions, segmentation of the market for central bank reserves and imperfect asset substitutability, give rise to...