Fed Minutes Highlight RRP, MMFs
The Federal Reserve's latest "Minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee" tells us, "The deputy manager next turned to a discussion of money markets and Desk operations. The 75 basis point increase in the target range at the June meeting passed through fully to the federal funds rate and other overnight rates. Although downward pressure on overnight secured rates had persisted, the pronounced softness observed in the past intermeeting period had abated to some degree. The overnight reverse repurchase agreement (ON RRP) facility continued to support policy implementation, and balances remained elevated. The deputy manager anticipated that, in the near term, the evolution of take-up at the ON RRP facility would continue to depend on changes in the supply of safe, short-term investments, and the demand for such investments by money market mutual funds (MMMFs). ON RRP balances were expected to decline over time as balance sheet runoff proceeded. The deputy manager noted that this process would involve adjustments across a number of markets and that the staff would continue to monitor developments in money markets closely." The Minutes explain, "Conditions in short-term funding markets were stable since the previous FOMC meeting, with the June increase in the Federal Reserve's administered rates passing through promptly to overnight money markets. Secured overnight rates remained soft relative to the ON RRP offering rate, with the downward pressure on rates attributed to continuing declines in net Treasury bill issuance, elevated demand for collateral in the form of Treasury securities, and MMMFs maintaining very short portfolio maturities amid uncertainty about the near-term outlook for policy rate increases. Consistent with the downward pressure on repo rates, daily take-up in the ON RRP facility increased. Spreads on lower-rated short-term commercial paper (CP) narrowed modestly, on net. Bank core deposit rates moved up very little in response to the Federal Reserve's increase in administered rates following the June FOMC meeting, while MMMFs' net yields rose, reflecting the increases in short-term rates over recent months." They add, "Yields offered by MMMFs were well above those offered by banks, and the staff noted that this yield differential would attract inflows to MMMFs. Noting the structural vulnerabilities associated with MMMFs, the staff highlighted the need to monitor the size and fragility of this sector and the progress of the Security and Exchange Commission's recently proposed reforms. The staff noted that open-end bond and loan mutual funds, which are also vulnerable to large-scale investor withdrawals, had experienced outflows as interest rates rose. These outflows had proceeded in an orderly manner."
