the fed will be buying commercial paper. the market for this unsecured commercial paper has all but shut down in the last week, with many major companies unable to borrow for longer than a day at a time. the volume of such debt totaled about $1.6 trillion as of Oct. 1, down 11 percent from three weeks earlier. the treasury's deposit with the fed's special purpose vehicle will be substantial, officials said.
the funds won't come from the $700 billion rescue plan authorized by Congress last week.
