The Scarcity Value of Treasury Collateral: Repo Market Effects of Security-Specific Supply and Demand Factors

Posted: 9 Jul 2021 Last revised: 30 Jun 2021

See all articles by Stefania D'Amico

Stefania D'Amico

Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago

Roger Fan

Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago

Yuriy Kitsul

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Multiple version iconThere are 5 versions of this paper

Date Written: May, 2014

Abstract

In the special collateral repo market, forward agreements are security-specific, which may magnify demand and supply effects. We quantify the scarcity value of Treasury collateral by estimating the impact of security-specific demand and supply factors on the repo rates of all outstanding U.S. Treasury securities. We find an economically and statistically significant scarcity premium. This scarcity effect is quite persistent, passes through to Treasury market prices, and explains a significant portion of the flow-effects of LSAP programs, providing additional evidence for the scarcity channel of QE. Through the same mechanism, the Fed's reverse repo operations could alleviate potential shortages of high-quality collateral.

Keywords: Treasury bonds, repo contracts, supply-demand factors, liquidity, large-scale asset purchase programs, Treasury auctions

JEL Classification: C23, E43, G12, G19

Suggested Citation

D'Amico, Stefania and Fan, Roger and Kitsul, Yuriy, The Scarcity Value of Treasury Collateral: Repo Market Effects of Security-Specific Supply and Demand Factors (May, 2014). FEDS Working Paper No. 2014-60, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3876996

Stefania D'Amico (Contact Author)

Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago ( email )

230 South LaSalle Street
Chicago, IL 60604
United States

Roger Fan

Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago ( email )

230 South LaSalle Street
Chicago, IL 60604
United States

Yuriy Kitsul

affiliation not provided to SSRN

No Address Available

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