美国货币市场或迎新一波压力？华尔街警告：美联储或被迫重启资产购买

Core Insights - The financing pressure in the U.S. money market is raising concerns on Wall Street, with major investment banks warning that ongoing funding stress may force the Federal Reserve to take more rapid actions, potentially even restarting its dormant asset purchase program [1][18] Group 1: Current Market Conditions - Key market interest rates have reached their highest level since 2020, with the spread between tri-party repo rates and the Fed's set rates peaking last Friday [1] - Although tri-party repo rates have slightly eased this week, market participants believe this is only a temporary relief [1][2] - Analysts indicate that the combination of three years of quantitative tightening and record U.S. Treasury issuance is pushing bank reserves into a dangerous territory [1][3] Group 2: Factors Contributing to Financing Pressure - Barclays identifies two main factors behind the recent funding pressure: a massive issuance of short-term Treasury bills and a growing financing demand from leveraged investors [3] - The Treasury General Account (TGA) balance surged to $1 trillion by October 30, significantly exceeding the Treasury's quarterly target of $850 billion, draining liquidity from the banking system [3][5] - The end of the month saw a drop in reserve balances to nearly $2.8 trillion, exacerbated by the withdrawal of funds from the U.S. repo market by the Bank of Canada [3] Group 3: Short-term Positive Factors - Barclays notes two potential short-term positive factors that may alleviate funding pressure before year-end: a decrease in TGA and a reduction in Treasury issuance [4][5] - The TGA balance is expected to decline to $850 billion by year-end, allowing approximately $150 billion in reserves to flow back into the banking system [5] - The peak of short-term Treasury issuance has passed, with minimal net issuance expected in December, which could inject significant liquidity into the market [8] Group 4: Ongoing Risks - Despite short-term relief, Barclays emphasizes that structural pressures will continue to pose threats to the funding market in Q4 [9] - Traditionally, Q4 sees increased funding pressure as Global Systemically Important Banks (GSIBs) actively shrink their balance sheets to manage systemic risk scores [10] - The effectiveness of the Fed's Standing Repo Facility (SRF) is being challenged, as tri-party general collateral repo rates have recently exceeded SRF rates, indicating a reluctance among traders to borrow from the Fed [11][14] Group 5: Potential Fed Actions - Analysts suggest that if funding pressures persist, the Fed may need to resume direct asset purchases [18][19] - The Dallas Fed President has indicated that if recent repo rate increases are not temporary, the Fed should begin purchasing assets [18] - Barclays believes that while the Fed is closely monitoring repo pressures, immediate intervention is unlikely due to the presence of "hawkish" members on the committee [18][19]