The Fed slightly reduced its T-Bill holdings this week. That was the extent of its QT effort. Meanwhile, crypto lender Silvergate went down for the count earlier this week. In addition, Silicon Valley Bank (ticker: SIVB) lost 60% of its market value on Thursday and is off another 22% in the aftermarket as Tech VC … Continue reading The Fed’s Balance Sheet Reduction (QT) UpdatePremium
Tag: money supply
The Fed’s Balance Sheet Reduction (QT) Update
The Fed essentially did nothing this past week in terms of tightening the money supply. QT hasn't been nearly as aggressive as the Fed's QE efforts - especially when you consider the cumulative effect of QE from 2009-early 2022. This Fed's ideology is not aligned with getting CPI down to 2% as I wrote back … Continue reading The Fed’s Balance Sheet Reduction (QT) Update
The Fed’s Balance Sheet Reduction (QT) Update
The Fed continued to modestly tighten monetary policy this week with a modest Treasury holding reduction of $32 billion. The Fed is approaching neutral monetary policy at this juncture but is not quite there. For commentators to suggest that Fed policy is restrictive is hogwash. Recall that CPI is still north of 6% (higher in … Continue reading The Fed’s Balance Sheet Reduction (QT) Update
Tomorrow’s CPI = Noise
Regardless of where CPI lands tomorrow, my view is that the Fed will hold rates higher for longer than the market believes. Higher interest rates combined with a shrinking money supply (QT), translates to: tighter monetary conditions, a higher cost of capital, less revenue visibility for companies, more employee layoffs and a deeper recession. The … Continue reading Tomorrow’s CPI = Noise
The Money Supply & QT
The Fed's tightening game is more than a one-trick pony. Quantitative Tightening ("QT"), is equally if not more important to monetary policy than the Fed Funds Rate. The Money Supply & QT. The Fed reduces the size of its balance sheet by selling holdings or allowing holdings to mature. Both methods result in money being … Continue reading The Money Supply & QT
The Fed’s Balance Sheet Reduction (QT) Update
The Fed's balance sheet was essentially unchanged over the week-ended January 11th. Treasuries: The Fed’s Treasury security holdings were $1.2 billion lower over the last week and $58.2 billion lower on a rolling 4-week total basis. Agencies: The Fed’s Government Agency security holdings were unchanged over the last week and $17.2 billion lower on a … Continue reading The Fed’s Balance Sheet Reduction (QT) Update
Money Is Tight. Perhaps Too Tight.
Money is tight when we observe the monetary base (currency in circulation plus reserves). It is dangerous to shrink the monetary base at the pace in which we have done so as interest rates rise. Doing so could be the difference between an economic recession and a depression. One can see based on the first … Continue reading Money Is Tight. Perhaps Too Tight.
The Fed’s Quest To Regain Credibility
The Fed's tightening is as much about its quest to regain credibility as it is about curbing inflation. The fact that prices for goods and services started to climb in 2020 and have persisted higher for two years is no surprise. The Treasury (subsidized by the Federal Reserve) mailed trillions of freshly-printed U.S. Dollars (helicopter … Continue reading The Fed’s Quest To Regain Credibility
75% Probability Of A 100 BPS Fed Funds Rate Increase
We have updated our Fed Funds Rate increase probabilities from our previous note on September 5th: 100 BPS increase: New probability: 75%; Old probability: 50%;75 BPS increase: New probability: 25%; Old probability: 40%;50 BPS increase: New probability: 0%; Old probability: 10%. The FOMC meets on September 20th and 21st.
Chart of The Day
It's a bit of an eye test and may require you to pinch and expand your phone screen. The takeaway is that the purple line that exceeds 300% year-over-year growth is the Money Supply (M1) measured at monthly intervals. When the Fed prints money and mails it to people they will spend it. In this … Continue reading Chart of The Day
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