- The Fed in March unveiled lending programs it said could provide $2.3 trillion to the economy. So far, that has totaled just $143 billion, or 6.2% of the total firepower.
- There are several likely explanations for why what was supposed to be an infusion of cash into the economy instead has been a comparative trickle.
- The programs, particularly the Main Street lending initiative, are complicated. There also may be less of a need as the economy improves.
- “There are also early signs that demand for the new facilities has been relatively muted, perhaps because the terms on offer have proved relatively unattractive,” said economist Andrew Hunter of Capital Economics.
The US economy added a record 4.8 million jobs last month as the nation continued an economic rebound that’s now threatened by a surge in coronavirus infections, new data show. Source New York Post
Shell, one of the world’s largest oil companies, has warned that the low price of oil could reduce the value of its assets by up to $22bn (£17.9bn). It said it expects oil to change hands at $60 per barrel in the long term and to be priced at $35 this year and $40 next year. Source BBC
- In a report out Tuesday, the BIS warned that there are underlying financial fragilities despite some confidence among market participants in recent weeks regarding the reopening of many economies.
- Coeure said that addressing corporate solvency is a matter for national governments and not central banks. Source CNBC
