华尔街严阵以待年底“钱荒”，美联储本周或暗示重启“印钞”？

Core Viewpoint - Wall Street banks are preparing to address rising pressures in the money market as the year-end approaches, which may prompt the Federal Reserve to consider measures to rebuild liquidity buffers in a $12.6 trillion market [2] Group 1: Federal Reserve Actions - The Federal Reserve will hold a meeting this week, marking its first since halting the reduction of its balance sheet, with indications that bank reserves are no longer ample [2] - Analysts suggest that the Fed may need to take specific actions to alleviate market tensions, such as resuming direct purchases of securities to replenish reserves [2] - Fed Chair Jerome Powell may provide clues about the next steps following the monetary policy meeting, with expectations that he will indicate a closer watch on front-end rates and the necessity to increase reserves [2][3] Group 2: Market Conditions - The overnight general collateral repo rate is trading around 4.25%, which is 60 basis points higher than the Fed's interest on reserves balance rate, assuming a 25 basis point rate cut is made [2] - The increase in Treasury issuance since summer has drained cash from the short-term market, leading to reduced funds in the banking system and higher rates [3] - The current level of reserves stands at $2.88 trillion, with differing opinions among Wall Street strategists on when the Fed will need to begin reserve management purchases [3] Group 3: Liquidity Support Tools - The usage of the Standing Repo Facility (SRF) reached a record $50.4 billion, indicating difficulties in finding counterparties for cash lending [3][4] - Despite the rise in SRF usage, a series of repo rates still exceed the rates offered by this tool, suggesting ongoing liquidity challenges [4] - Strategists from Bank of America and JPMorgan see this as a sign that the Fed may need to provide short-term liquidity to ease year-end constraints [5] Group 4: Market Operations - JPMorgan's short-term interest rate strategist suggested that the Fed could conduct regular temporary open market operations to address year-end balance sheet demands [5] - The benefits of regular repos include certainty in financing and the ability to lock in year-end funds, which can provide additional confidence to market participants [6]