The Federal Reserve, fresh off its announcement of a third round of bond buying, may already be laying the groundwork for a fourth, a market analyst told CNBC "Futures Now."
With uncertainty over taxes and spending at the fore of consumers' minds, "the stars are aligned" for the Federal Reserve to prepare markets for a fourth round of quantitative easing, said George Goncalves, head of US rates strategy at Nomura Securities.
"They do want to keep the easing train going," the analyst said, especially as they wrap up their " Operation Twist " policy selling short-term debt in an effort to depress long-term interest rates.
"They are probably going to start expanding their balance sheet and we think it does make sense to start calling it QE4," Goncalves added.
Few analysts expect a dramatic pronouncement from Wednesday's Federal Open Market Committee meeting. Still, Goncalves said the central bank may use the opportunity to "tweak" its guidance on the duration of the massive bond-buying in which they've been investing as part of QE3. (Read more: QE3 Will Not Help US Consumers or the Jobless: Roach .)
