As best I can discern, the FED is able to transfer wealth in the following ways: 1) inflation of the money supply (this is the simplest and most obvious method...but probably not even the most profitable), 2) lending for bailout...when you hear about all those bailouts that were fully repaid, know that you are being lied to...a company is allowed to borrow money from the FED is able to use that capital to generate additional capital...that company is able to draw wealth from the rest of the economy that would have otherwise ended up elsewhere...so, while a company may have repaid a loan, there was a wealth transfer that occurred and that will not be repaid, 3) over paying for assets in the open market (the FED buying toubled MBSes is one instance of this), 4) Frontrunning...insiders that have fore knowledge of FED open market actions can make moves ahead of the FED and profit...this is a direct wealth transfer from other market participants, 5) financing gov't deficit...obviously the wealth is transferred to the government when this happens, but the FED is also transferring wealth to the banks (principally the primary dealers) as well when this occurs...this is because the FED doesn't buy treasuries directly from the gov't...it buys them from banks that buy them from the Treasury...the banks make a risk free spread in that transaction...this has even been openly discussed in the media...with some calling for the FED to simply buy Treasuries directly from the Treasury Dept...so far I don't think that has happened (not surprising why). I'm sure there are many more mechanisms employed by the FED.