Category: interbank market

Posted on

I see baby Boomers seeking yield. Will the U.S. central banking system accommodate them?

In comments made last week by a number of members of the Federal Open Market Committee, traders and investors should hold their horses on a cut in overnight banking rates anytime before June 2024. There appears to be some sentiment among Committee members that reducing the overnight lending rate between banks (federal funds rate) and … Continue reading I see baby Boomers seeking yield. Will the U.S. central banking system accommodate them?

Posted on

Governments create bond markets and tax burdens. Keep your political activity within that parameter….

There was a scene in an episode of “Game of Thrones” where Jamie Lannister and his men sacked a castle and took off with loads of grain and other food stuff. That is how the vast majority of us feel during tax season: that the government, like Jamie Lannister, is coming around to haul away more … Continue reading Governments create bond markets and tax burdens. Keep your political activity within that parameter….

Posted on

The Federal Reserve, banking, and managing political theatrics ….

The Federal Open Market Committee issued a decision last Wednesday to maintain the target range of its federal funds rate between 5.25% and 5.50%. For banks that need to borrow from the Federal Reserve System’s discount window, rates for this lender of last resort facility is at 5.50%. Within the interbank market, banks will continue to see … Continue reading The Federal Reserve, banking, and managing political theatrics ….

Posted on

The Court’s role in supporting monetary policy.

At times I think that traders and bank depositors operate in sandboxes oblivious to the rest of the playground that surrounds their play area. The media offers enough noise to distract market participants from the philosophy that orders the interaction between the State, the banking system, and transactional markets. I consider banks to be the retailer of … Continue reading The Court’s role in supporting monetary policy.

Posted on

The federal funds rate: In the end, is it not about supporting the banking system?

The Federal Open Market Committee is set to meet on December 12-13, 2023 to determine the target range for the federal funds rate. The federal funds rate is the interest rate at which depository institutions lend balances held either at the Federal Reserve or in their bank vaults to other depository institutions overnight. The current … Continue reading The federal funds rate: In the end, is it not about supporting the banking system?

Posted on

What is the federal funds rate? Should the Fed worry about not meeting its mandates under law?

Today’s rates …. 30-Day Federal Funds Futures: 94.69. Effective Federal Funds Rate: 5.33%. Interest on Reserve Balances: 5.40%. Discount Window: 5.50%. CME FedWatch: 96.8%. EUR/USD=1.0931. GBP/USD=1.2594. USD/JPY=149.6608. (Foreign exchange rates as of 7:38 pm EDT.) Today’s definition … Federal funds rate-the interest rate at which depository institutions lend reserve balances to other depository institutions overnight. … Continue reading What is the federal funds rate? Should the Fed worry about not meeting its mandates under law?