(Reuters) - Even as global central banks rapidly tightened financial conditions this year, U.S. households, banks and businesses have so far been able to adapt, Federal Reserve Vice Chair Lael Brainard said as the Fed released its semiannual report on financial stability.
<p><span>Let me begin by thanking SIFMA for inviting me to speak at today’s meeting. In my remarks, I will focus on the progress made by the official sector towards enhancing the resilience of the Treasury market.</span></p>
Remarks by Under Secretary for Domestic Finance Nellie Liang at the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association's Prudential and Capital Board Subcommittee marketswired.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from marketswired.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
<p><span>Today, the Commission will consider whether to propose standards for covered clearing agencies (also known as clearinghouses) regarding the clearance of certain trades involving U.S. Treasury securities. I am pleased to support these rules because, if adopted, they would help to make a vital part of our capital markets more efficient, competitive, and resilient.</span></p>
<p><span>As I have noted in the past, i</span><span>t is hard to overstate the importance of the U.S. Treasury market. U.S. Treasury securities are direct obligations of the U.S. Government issued by the Department of the Treasury. There are several different types of Treasury securities, including U.S. Treasury bills, nominal coupon notes and bonds, Floating Rate Notes, and Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS). The market consists of two components: the primary market and the secondary market. The primary market is where the Treasury Department auctions securities to the public through a competitive bidding process and subsequently issues awarded securities to finance the Federal government. The secondary market is where the other trading of U.S. Treasury securities occurs. The secondary market includes both the “cash market,” for outright purchases and sales of securities, and the repo market, where one participant sells a U.S. Tr