Category: Economy

Fed loses control of its own interest rate as it cut rates — ‘This just doesn’t look good’

In a rare move, the Fed’s own benchmark fed funds target rate rose to 2.3% on Tuesday, above the target range set when it cut rates at its last meeting in July. The target range was since cut by a quarter point Wednesday to 1.75% to 2% from 2 to 2.25%.

“This just doesn’t look good. You set your target. You’re the all-powerful Fed. You’re supposed to control it and you can’t on Fed day. It looks bad. This has been a tough run for Powell,” said Michael Schumacher, director, rate strategy, at Wells Fargo.

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On Monday, there seems to have been a perfect storm in the market, causing a cash shortage. Corporations were seeking dollars for quarterly tax payments, and the Treasury had also issued a large amount of bills, which reduces liquidity. There was also speculation that the attack on Saudi Aramco, which took half its production off line, may have spurred demand as oil spiked and investors feared a Middle East conflict.

CONTINUE READING at LAMESTREAM MEDIA — Fed loses control of its own interest rate as it cut rates — ‘This just doesn’t look good’

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Why is the NY Fed pumping billions into the money market?

Why did the New York Fed intervene?

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The reasons behind [borrowing banks’] sudden demand for cash were attributed to a host of technical conditions that converged to drain money out of the system.

There were major cash withdrawals as quarterly corporate taxes came due, at the same time as a surge of US Treasury debt came into the market to finance deficit spending by the federal government.

More generally, more government securities have built up on the balance sheets of private firms these days as the Fed has begun to wind down the massive holdings of Treasury paper it amassed during the global financial crisis — which has also sucked cash out of the market.

“It looks like a lot of cash left the system in recent days and that demand for dollars was greater than the number of dollars in circulation,” said Gregori Volokhine of Meeshaert Financial Services.

To bring rates down, the New York Fed pumped fresh liquidity into the system through repo operations — $53 billion on Tuesday, $75 billion on Wednesday, with another $75 billion planned for Thursday morning.

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The event awakened painful memories of the 2008 financial meltdown, when credit markets seized up suddenly as banks feared that borrowers would go bust before repaying.

CONTINUE READING at LAMESTREAM MEDIA — a Why is the NY Fed pumping billions into the money market?

JPMorgan’s Gold and Silver Desk Was a Criminal Enterprise – U.S. Justice Department – GoldCore News

◆ JPMorgan’s head of precious metals trading and senior traders have been charged by the U.S. Department of Justice with rigging precious metal prices in a “massive, multiyear scheme”

◆ The DOJ’s indictment said the scheme generated millions of dollars in profits for JPMorgan Chase and caused millions in losses for counter-parties, prosecutors said

◆ JPM precious metals desk chief, Michael Nowak, who was indicted is a JPM managing director and London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) board member

◆ The U.S. DoJ has invoked RICO or Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act racketeering law in charging JP Morgan and racketeering is very rarely used in cases involving large banks

◆ JPM is accused of illegally monopolizing the silver futures market, engaging in “widespread spoofing, market manipulation and fraud” in the gold and silver market and defrauding investors

◆ JP Morgan may have accumulated the biggest stockpile of physical silver in history – See JP Morgan Cornering Silver Market?

CONTINUE READING at Goldcore.com — JPMorgan’s Gold and Silver Desk Was a Criminal Enterprise – U.S. Justice Department – GoldCore News