At Least $250 Billion In Short-Term Repos Through Oct 17

The overnight and end-of-quarter repo mess is scheduled to last at least a month longer.

Overnight lending rates spiked as high as 10% in the past few weeks. The Fed blamed it all on end-of-quarter financing needs.

The Fed then made some emergency "overnight" and "short-term" repos to get through the end-of-the-quarter.

Following the emergency actions to suppress interest rate spikes, Philadelphia Fed President Patrick Harker explained "This is not QE4. This is not a monetary policy tool".

WTH is It?

If it's neither QE nor a "monetary policy tool", then what the hell is it?

Tiddly Winks?

Looks Like QE, Stinks Like QE

The Fed's balance sheet is growing again.

Harker explained QE growth will be "organic".

Actions prove otherwise

Is the Third Quarter Over?

Inquiring minds may be asking "Is the third quarter over?"

That seems to be a simple question, but let's check a calendar to be sure.

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Yep. It appears the third quarter is over.

So let's check on those Repo actions to get us through the end-of-quarter financing needs.

Fed Repo Actions Overnight and Term

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The overnight operations replace each other. One needs to add up what does expire.

I come up with 30+60+60+75 = $195 billion.

Note that end-of-quarter needs stretch all the way until October 11. But let's not stop there. Let's investigate all scheduled Repo operations.

Scheduled Overnight and Term Repos

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New Definitions

It appears we have new definitions of "overnight" and "end-of-quarter".

The end of third-quarter needs stretch all the way until November 12. Fancy that.

The $30 billion term repo that expires on October 8 (first repo chart) will be replaced by a $45 billion term repo on October 8 (second repo chart)

But also note that expiring a total of $120 billion in repos will expire on October 10 and 11. Those will be replaced by only $90 billion in new repos on those dates.

If it played out exactly that way there would be a small $15 term repo reduction on October 11.

However, we also need to add in $75 billion "overnight" every day from October 7 through November 4..

At Least Kicker

Please note the "At Least" kicker. The first chart has an explicit dollar amount.

All items in the second chart say "at least".

At Least $250 Billion Through October 17

The overlapping term repos between October 8 through October 15 all expire no sooner than October 17.

I count 45+45+45+35 in term repos + $75 billion in continual "overnight" repos = $250 billion (At Least)!

On October 17, at least $45 billion will expire to be replaced by at least $35 billion.

Then on October 22, at least $45 billion will expire to be replaced by at least $35 billion.

Fed Totally Clueless

I believe you get the idea here:

The Fed is totally clueless about allegedly "end-of-quarter" needs.