(Reuters) - The United States will buy back debt in the coming quarter for the first time since 2002 to make sure its computer infrastructure is adequate for any future buyback operations, the U.S. Treasury said on Wednesday.
The Treasury also said it was holding steady borrowing amounts for two- and three-year maturities during the coming quarter, and that coupon auction sizes "will remain steady going forward."
Officials stressed the buyback does not signal any current need to buy back debt.
"Given that IT systems have changed significantly in the 12 years since the last buyback operation, Treasury believes it is prudent to regularly test the current IT infrastructure," Treasury Assistant Secretary Matt Rutherford said in a statement. He described the upcoming buyback as a "small-scale" operation.
The United States was in a period of declining budget deficits the last time Washington bought back debt, and the operations provided liquidity to segments of the bond market. U.S. deficits have declined quickly over the last year.
The tests could augur more substantial buybacks a few years down the road, said Thomas Simons, a money market strategist at Jefferies & Co. in New York.
"Why test the buyback when you won’t use it at some point?" Simons said.
Rutherford also said the Treasury was studying how to change its cash management policy to shield government finances from disruptive events like severe storms that could keep the government from accessing markets.
He cited the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks as well as Superstorm Sandy in 2012, both of which disrupted trading on Wall Street.
The U.S. government holds weekly auctions to borrow money in order to pay off maturing securities. If Treasury were unable to access markets, it might not be able to carry out such operations.
A larger cash balance would give it more of a cushion to pay off its debts. Another Treasury official told journalists in a briefing that investors had recommended Washington hold higher cash balances, and that Treasury was studying how it might do so.
reuters.com
The Treasury also said it was holding steady borrowing amounts for two- and three-year maturities during the coming quarter, and that coupon auction sizes "will remain steady going forward."
Officials stressed the buyback does not signal any current need to buy back debt.
"Given that IT systems have changed significantly in the 12 years since the last buyback operation, Treasury believes it is prudent to regularly test the current IT infrastructure," Treasury Assistant Secretary Matt Rutherford said in a statement. He described the upcoming buyback as a "small-scale" operation.
The United States was in a period of declining budget deficits the last time Washington bought back debt, and the operations provided liquidity to segments of the bond market. U.S. deficits have declined quickly over the last year.
The tests could augur more substantial buybacks a few years down the road, said Thomas Simons, a money market strategist at Jefferies & Co. in New York.
"Why test the buyback when you won’t use it at some point?" Simons said.
Rutherford also said the Treasury was studying how to change its cash management policy to shield government finances from disruptive events like severe storms that could keep the government from accessing markets.
He cited the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks as well as Superstorm Sandy in 2012, both of which disrupted trading on Wall Street.
The U.S. government holds weekly auctions to borrow money in order to pay off maturing securities. If Treasury were unable to access markets, it might not be able to carry out such operations.
A larger cash balance would give it more of a cushion to pay off its debts. Another Treasury official told journalists in a briefing that investors had recommended Washington hold higher cash balances, and that Treasury was studying how it might do so.
reuters.com
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