The New York Fed issued a "Statement to Revise the Terms of the Overnight Reverse Repurchase Agreements," which states, "As noted in the October 19, 2009, Statement Regarding Reverse Repurchase Agreements, the Open Market Trading Desk (the Desk) at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (New York Fed) has been working internally and with market participants on operational aspects of tri-party reverse repurchase agreements (RRPs) to ensure that this tool will be ready to support the monetary policy objectives of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC). The Federal Reserve continues to enhance operational readiness and increase its understanding of the impact of RRPs through technical exercises. In further support of its objectives, the FOMC instructed the Desk to change the design of these RRP operations. Effective Monday, September 22, 2014, each eligible counterparty will be limited to one bid of up to $30 billion per day, an increase from the current $10 billion per-counterparty maximum bid limit, and each operation will be subject to an overall size limit of $300 billion. Each submitted request must include a rate of interest, subject to a specified maximum, which would apply only in the event that the total amount of offers received by the New York Fed exceeds the overall size limit of the operation. If the sum of the bids received is less than or equal to the overall size limit, awards will be made at the specified offering rate to all submitters. If the sum of the bids received is greater than the overall size limit, awards will be allocated using a single-price auction based on the "stopout" rate at which the overall size limit is reached, with all bids below this rate awarded in full at the stopout rate and all bids at this rate awarded on a pro rata basis at the stopout rate. The stopout rate will be determined by evaluating all bids in ascending order by submitted rate up to the point at which the total quantity of offers equals the overall size limit. The offering rate will be set at 0.05 percent (five basis points)." It continues, "The operations will be open to all eligible RRP counterparties, will use Treasury collateral, will settle same-day, and will have an overnight tenor." In other news, the Federal Reserve Board's Federal Open Market Committee met on September 16-17, discussing interest rates and winding down the asset purchase program <i:http://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/press/monetary/20140917a.htm>`_. "To support continued progress toward maximum employment and price stability, the Committee today reaffirmed its view that a highly accommodative stance of monetary policy remains appropriate. In determining how long to maintain the current 0 to 1/4 percent target range for the federal funds rate, the Committee will assess progress -- both realized and expected--toward its objectives of maximum employment and 2 percent inflation. The Committee continues to anticipate, based on its assessment of these factors, that it likely will be appropriate to maintain the current target range for the federal funds rate for a considerable time after the asset purchase program ends, especially if projected inflation continues to run below the Committee's 2 percent longer-run goal, and provided that longer-term inflation expectations remain well anchored. The Committee currently anticipates that, even after employment and inflation are near mandate-consistent levels, economic conditions may, for some time, warrant keeping the target federal funds rate below levels the Committee views as normal in the longer run."
