After falling last week on news the Federal Reserve was ready to create $1.75 trillion by buying mortgage-backed securities and government debt, markets rallied today as US Treasury Secretary Geithner announced details of a $1.0 trillion plan to remove toxic assets from banks' balance sheets and restore confidence to flagging financial markets.
That's extremely good news. Not many people held faith in the understaffed US Treasury's ability to get the details out. Others simply felt party politics would prevent further funding from Congress for more bailouts.
That's why the Fed's move last week was perceived by markets as a last ditch effort to boost demand, and why it stoked inflation fears.
Essentially, Geithner's plan uses taxpayer and private sector money to buy troubled assets from banks.
Many of these assets toxic for banks' balance sheets because they are difficult to value, and so sell off to raise cash. If the government buys these assets off banks at rock-bottom prices, then the banks will not benefit. But if the government overpays, taxpayers stand to lose out.
By using private sector money, Geithner hopes to minimise the risk to taxpayers. He hopes that getting the private sector invovled will help ensure that the government doesn't overpay.
Will it work? That's to be determined. But the plan has succeed in its first job: restoring market confidence in US proposals - and in Geithner's ability - to restore confidence to the markets.
It may seem like odd logic, but that's the type of virtuous circle the global economy needs to get out of this ongoing malaise.