The Federal Reserve Bank of New York met Wall Street dealers this week to discuss signs of tightening money-market liquidity. Officials focused on how their key repo backstop is working as short-term funding costs edge higher. New York Fed convenes dealers on standing repo facility The New York Fed convened primary dealers on the sidelines of its U.S. Treasury Market Conference in New York. Officials briefed the banks on recent moves in short-term rates and asked for feedback on the Standing Repo Facility, which aims to cap spikes in overnight borrowing costs. New York Fed Liquidity Meeting. Source: Barchart In the meeting, policymakers reviewed how usage of the facility has picked up from low levels in recent weeks. They noted that the SRF is designed to keep the effective federal funds rate within the central bank’s target range as reserves decline through quantitative tightening. Officials also discussed recent Treasury bill auctions that cleared at higher yields, a sign that demand for cash has increased. They stressed that the SRF remains available as a backstop when balance-sheet constraints or quarter-end effects tighten funding conditions. How money market stress may influence markets next Traders now watch whether repo and other money-market rates keep edging toward the top of the Fed’s target range. When overnight rates trade near that ceiling for long, it usually signals that reserves in the banking system are getting tighter as the Fed shrinks its balance sheet through quantitative tightening. At the same time, analysts treat the Standing Repo Facility as a live stress indicator. When banks tap the SRF more often, it shows they would rather borrow directly from the Fed at the top of the target range than pay higher rates in private repo markets. Fed officials, including New York Fed’s Roberto Perli and Dallas Fed’s Lorie Logan, have recently encouraged firms to use the SRF whenever it makes economic sense and have flagged rising usage around month- and quarter-end as funding pressures build. Because of that, funding conditions can quickly spill into broader markets. If short-term borrowing costs stay elevated and Treasury price swings widen, investors may start to price in a slower pace of quantitative tightening or tweaks to the Fed’s operating tools to keep the effective federal funds rate inside the target range. Research from the Fed and recent commentary from market strategists note that sustained stress in repo markets and heavy SRF demand often push balance-sheet policy and “ample reserves” discussions back to the center of the debate.
