Archives of “central banks” tag

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Federal Reserve to buy Treasuries and MBS ‘at least at the current pace’

  
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Highlights of the June 10, 2020 FOMC interest rate decision

  • Will increase holdings of bonds ‘over the coming months’ at least at the current pace to smooth markets
  • Buying will continue across curve
  • Dots pin rates at zero through 2022 but two dots show lift-off in 2022
  • Rates unchanged, as expected
  • Repeats pledge to use full range of tools to support US economy
  • Repeats that health crisis will weigh heavily on activity and poses considerable risks to the outlook over medium-term
  • Financial conditions have improved, in part reflecting policy measures to support the economy and the flow of credit to U.S. households and businesses.
  • Prior statement
  • Powell will hold a press conference at the bottom of the hour
The Fed has tapered to $4B/day from a high of $300B/day and there was some expectations they would continue to taper but they are going to keep QE here, which is around $80B per month.
I don’t see anything negative for the market here. The dots are zeroed out and the Fed is going to keep the printer running.

German judges partly dismiss ECB QE case

  
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The judges reach a 7-1 ruling in the ECB QE case

Despite the ruling, the court says that some action by the ECB QE program partially violates constitution and that some of the action is held illegal i.e. not valid in Germany.
Adding that the ECB decision is not backed by the EU treaty. The decision can be found here.

Although there are some caveats, I wouldn’t look too much into this. This just reaffirms that PEPP is going to be untouched, so the lack of suggestive price action means ‘let’s move on’.
I would argue that this is the key passage to take note of in the ruling above:

“Following a transitional period of no more than three months allowing for the necessary coordination with the Eurosystem, the Bundesbank may thus no longer participate in the implementation and execution of the ECB decisions at issue, unless the ECB Governing Council adopts a new decision that demonstrates in a comprehensible and substantiated manner that the monetary policy objectives pursued by the PSPP are not disproportionate to the economic and fiscal policy effects resulting from the programme. On the same condition, the Bundesbank must ensure that the bonds already purchased and held in its portfolio are sold based on a – possibly long-term – strategy coordinated with the Eurosystem.”

Full statement from the FOMC April 2020 decision

  
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FOMC statement from April 2020

Below is the full statement from the April 2020 FOMC rate decision

The Federal Reserve is committed to using its full range of tools to support the U.S. economy in this challenging time, thereby promoting its maximum employment and price stability goals.

The coronavirus outbreak is causing tremendous human and economic hardship across the United States and around the world. The virus and the measures taken to protect public health are inducing sharp declines in economic activity and a surge in job losses. Weaker demand and significantly lower oil prices are holding down consumer price inflation. The disruptions to economic activity here and abroad have significantly affected financial conditions and have impaired the flow of credit to U.S. households and businesses.

The ongoing public health crisis will weigh heavily on economic activity, employment, and inflation in the near term, and poses considerable risks to the economic outlook over the medium term. In light of these developments, the Committee decided to maintain the target range for the federal funds rate at 0 to 1/4 percent. The Committee expects to maintain this target range until it is confident that the economy has weathered recent events and is on track to achieve its maximum employment and price stability goals.

The Committee will continue to monitor the implications of incoming information for the economic outlook, including information related to public health, as well as global developments and muted inflation pressures, and will use its tools and act as appropriate to support the economy. In determining the timing and size of future adjustments to the stance of monetary policy, the Committee will assess realized and expected economic conditions relative to its maximum employment objective and its symmetric 2 percent inflation objective. This assessment will take into account a wide range of information, including measures of labor market conditions, indicators of inflation pressures and inflation expectations, and readings on financial and international developments.

To support the flow of credit to households and businesses, the Federal Reserve will continue to purchase Treasury securities and agency residential and commercial mortgage-backed securities in the amounts needed to support smooth market functioning, thereby fostering effective transmission of monetary policy to broader financial conditions. In addition, the Open Market Desk will continue to offer large-scale overnight and term repurchase agreement operations. The Committee will closely monitor market conditions and is prepared to adjust its plans as appropriate.

Voting for the monetary policy action were Jerome H. Powell, Chair; John C. Williams, Vice Chair; Michelle W. Bowman; Lael Brainard; Richard H. Clarida; Patrick Harker; Robert S. Kaplan; Neel Kashkari; Loretta J. Mester; and Randal K. Quarles.

ECB leaves rates unchanged, announces new LTRO, expands QE by 120B

  
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ECB announces measures

No changes in any rates
  • ECB raises monthly bond purchases by 120B by year-end (not per month)
  • Additional LTROs will be conducted to provide immediate liquidity
  • Says considerably more favourable terms will be applied during period from June 2020 to June 2021
  • Rates on new LTROs will be 25 bps below average rate applied in eurosystem’s main refinancing operations
  • Raises amount taht counterparties can borrow in LTROs to 50% of their stock of eligible loans
  • Continue to expect QE programs to run as long as necessary and end shortly before ECB ready to raise rates
The market was sniffing around for an interest rate cut and it didn’t come. The euro has risen

Fed increases sizes of overnight, term repo operations

  
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The Fed just hiked the amount offered in its repo operations

The statement via the NY Fed:

“The Open Market Trading Desk (the Desk) at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York has updated the current monthly schedule of repurchase agreement (repo) operations.

Beginning with today’s operation and through March 12, 2020, the Desk will increase the amount offered in daily overnight repo operations from at least $100 billion to at least $150 billion. In addition, the Desk will increase the amount offered in the two-week term repo operations on Tuesday, March 10, 2020 and Thursday, March 12, 2020 from at least $20 billion to at least $45 billion.”

You can check out the other smaller details here. Not QE they said. Things will go back to normal soon enough they said. Look where are we now.

ECB leaves key rates unchanged in January meeting

  
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The ECB announces its latest monetary policy decision – 23 January 2020

  • Prior decision
  • Deposit rate facility -0.50%
  • Main refinancing rate 0.00%
  • Marginal lending facility 0.25%
  • Rates to remain at present or lower levels until inflation outlook robustly converges to target, reflected in underlying inflation
  • Announces first strategic review of policy since 2003
  • Further details on scope, timetable of review will be due later at 1430 GMT
  • Bond buying to continue until shortly before rates are raised
Pretty much a non-event as the details of the statement is very much a repeat of December – or so it seems, the ECB website link is down – besides the announcement of the strategic review, which was very much expected.
The euro is barely moved on the release as all eyes will turn towards Lagarde’s press conference, which is due at 1330 GMT later.
Update: Here’s the full statement.

“At today’s meeting the Governing Council of the European Central Bank (ECB) decided that the interest rate on the main refinancing operations and the interest rates on the marginal lending facility and the deposit facility will remain unchanged at 0.00%, 0.25% and -0.50% respectively. The Governing Council expects the key ECB interest rates to remain at their present or lower levels until it has seen the inflation outlook robustly converge to a level sufficiently close to, but below, 2% within its projection horizon, and such convergence has been consistently reflected in underlying inflation dynamics.

The Governing Council will continue to make net purchases under its asset purchase programme (APP) at a monthly pace of €20 billion. The Governing Council expects them to run for as long as necessary to reinforce the accommodative impact of its policy rates, and to end shortly before it starts raising the key ECB interest rates.

The Governing Council intends to continue reinvesting, in full, the principal payments from maturing securities purchased under the APP for an extended period of time past the date when it starts raising the key ECB interest rates, and in any case for as long as necessary to maintain favourable liquidity conditions and an ample degree of monetary accommodation.

The Governing Council also decided to launch a review of the ECB’s monetary policy strategy. Further details about the scope and timetable of the review will be published in a press release today at 15:30 CET.

The President of the ECB will comment on the considerations underlying these decisions at a press conference starting at 14:30 CET today.”

The full FOMC statement for December 2019

  
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The FOMC Statement for December 2019

Information received since the Federal Open Market Committee met in October indicates that the labor market remains strong and that economic activity has been rising at a moderate rate. Job gains have been solid, on average, in recent months, and the unemployment rate has remained low. Although household spending has been rising at a strong pace, business fixed investment and exports remain weak. On a 12‑month basis, overall inflation and inflation for items other than food and energy are running below 2 percent. Market-based measures of inflation compensation remain low; survey-based measures of longer-term inflation expectations are little changed.

Consistent with its statutory mandate, the Committee seeks to foster maximum employment and price stability. The Committee decided to maintain the target range for the federal funds rate at 1‑1/2 to 1-3/4 percent. The Committee judges that the current stance of monetary policy is appropriate to support sustained expansion of economic activity, strong labor market conditions, and inflation near the Committee’s symmetric 2 percent objective. The Committee will continue to monitor the implications of incoming information for the economic outlook, including global developments and muted inflation pressures, as it assesses the appropriate path of the target range for the federal funds rate.

In determining the timing and size of future adjustments to the target range for the federal funds rate, the Committee will assess realized and expected economic conditions relative to its maximum employment objective and its symmetric 2 percent inflation objective. This assessment will take into account a wide range of information, including measures of labor market conditions, indicators of inflation pressures and inflation expectations, and readings on financial and international developments.

Voting for the monetary policy action were Jerome H. Powell, Chair; John C. Williams, Vice Chair; Michelle W. Bowman; Lael Brainard; James Bullard; Richard H. Clarida; Charles L. Evans; Esther L. George; Randal K. Quarles; and Eric S. Rosengren.

Implementation Note issued December 11, 2019

A quick glance at the key risk events in markets this week

  
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It is going to be an eventful week in markets despite the slower start today

Let us take a look at what else is on the agenda:

Tuesday, 10 December
– RBA governor Philip Lowe speaks at the AusPayNet Summit in Sydney
– China November CPI data
– Germany December ZEW survey current conditions, expectations
Wednesday, 11 December
– US November CPI data
– FOMC December monetary policy meeting & Fed chair Powell press conference
Thursday, 12 December
– UK general election
– SNB December monetary policy meeting
– ECB December monetary policy meeting & ECB president Lagarde press conference
– BOC governor Stephen Poloz speaks about the Canadian economic outlook for 2020
Friday, 13 December
– US November retail sales data
Sunday, 15 December
– Deadline before US tariffs on $156 billion of Chinese goods go into effect
These will be the key ones to pay attention to but there will also be other smaller data releases during the week that will also have some say to the ebb and flow of things.
As such, fret not about the lack of meaningful moves in markets so far today. Things will surely heat up over the next few days.

The FOMC September 2019 full statement

  
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FOMC statement from the September 2019 rate decision

Information received since the Federal Open Market Committee met in July indicates that the labor market remains strong and that economic activity has been rising at a moderate rate. Job gains have been solid, on average, in recent months, and the unemployment rate has remained low. Although household spending has been rising at a strong pace, business fixed investment and exports have weakened. On a 12-month basis, overall inflation and inflation for items other than food and energy are running below 2 percent. Market-based measures of inflation compensation remain low; survey-based measures of longer-term inflation expectations are little changed.

Consistent with its statutory mandate, the Committee seeks to foster maximum employment and price stability. In light of the implications of global developments for the economic outlook as well as muted inflation pressures, the Committee decided to lower the target range for the federal funds rate to 1-3/4 to 2 percent. This action supports the Committee’s view that sustained expansion of economic activity, strong labor market conditions, and inflation near the Committee’s symmetric 2 percent objective are the most likely outcomes, but uncertainties about this outlook remain. As the Committee contemplates the future path of the target range for the federal funds rate, it will continue to monitor the implications of incoming information for the economic outlook and will act as appropriate to sustain the expansion, with a strong labor market and inflation near its symmetric 2 percent objective.

In determining the timing and size of future adjustments to the target range for the federal funds rate, the Committee will assess realized and expected economic conditions relative to its maximum employment objective and its symmetric 2 percent inflation objective. This assessment will take into account a wide range of information, including measures of labor market conditions, indicators of inflation pressures and inflation expectations, and readings on financial and international developments.

Voting for the monetary policy action were Jerome H. Powell, Chair, John C. Williams, Vice Chair; Michelle W. Bowman; Lael Brainard; Richard H. Clarida; Charles L. Evans; and Randal K. Quarles. Voting against the action were James Bullard, who preferred at this meeting to lower the target range for the federal funds rate to 1-1/2 to 1-3/4 percent; and Esther L. George and Eric S. Rosengren, who preferred to maintain the target range at 2 percent to 2-1/4 percent.

Its European Central Bank policy meeting day – preview

  
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ECB monetary policy decision is coming later on Thursday 12 September 2019

  • announcement due at 1145gmt
  • ECB President Draghi’s press conference (his last one!) is at 1230 GMT
Various previews have been posted in past days, I’ll collate them all for easy reference a little later. But for now, BNZ have a handy summary:
  • consensus among economists is for a 10bp cut to the ECB’s deposit rate and the announcement of a resumption to QE, with the median estimate for a €30b per month pace of bond buying. 
  • The market prices 14bps of rate cuts in for this meeting, implying an almost 50% chance that the ECB could cut by 20bps. 
  • The ECB is widely expected to accompany any rate cut with the adoption of a “tiering” system for bank reserves, whereby some portion of banks’ reserves will be exempted from the negative deposit rate, in order to mitigate the negative financial impact on the banking sector. 
  • The bond market’s focus is likely to be on whether the ECB restarts its QE programme and, if so, what the size of such a programme might be. Despite the recent rise in European and global rates, expectations for the ECB are still high (as evidenced by a 30 year German yield of 0%) and were it to disappoint market expectations on QE, the risk is for an extension in the recent bond sell-off.
ECB monetary policy decision is coming later on Thursday 12 September 2019 
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