Stock market today: S&P 500 hits fresh record close on stronger economic growth
Investing.com -- Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas President Lorie Logan said Monday that the U.S. central bank has more room to reduce its reserves and expects banks to use its standing repo facility (SRF) next month to address potential liquidity pressures.
"We could see some temporary pressure around the tax date and quarter-end in September," Logan said in prepared remarks at the Bank of Mexico’s centennial conference in Mexico City. "I was encouraged to see market participants using the SRF over the June quarter-end, and I anticipate they will similarly use our ceiling tools if necessary in September."
The standing repo facility allows eligible firms to quickly convert Treasury securities into cash, reducing the need for emergency Fed intervention. While typically unused, the facility has seen activity when banking reserves decline, notably at the end of September 2004.
Logan indicated that as banking system reserves decrease, central banks should avoid expanding their balance sheets in response to short-term demand for reserves, which could lead to an "ever-expanding" balance sheet.
She also suggested potential changes to the Fed’s discount window, which provides liquidity to banks. These changes could include increasing or removing size limits on the facility, implementing central clearing for transactions, and establishing a daily auction for discount window loans to improve liquidity distribution within the banking system.
Logan did not discuss monetary policy outlook or economic conditions in her remarks. This omission may be significant as investors watch for signals from the Fed’s more hawkish policymakers, including Logan, regarding inflation concerns and recent labor market weakness.