What is the overnight loans rate

The overnight market is the component of the money market involving the shortest term loan. The overnight market is primarily used by banks and other financial institutions. Lenders agree to lend borrowers funds only "overnight" i.e. the borrower must repay the borrowed funds plus interest at the start of business the next day.[1] Given the short period of the loan, the interest rate charged in the overnight market, known as the overnight rate is, generally speaking, the lowest rate at which banks lend money.

Most of the activity in the so-called overnight market in fact occurs in the morning immediately after the start of business for the day. Banks and financial institutions analyse their cash reserves on a daily basis, and assess whether they have an excess or a deficit of cash with respect to their needs. More specifically, deposit-taking financial institutions (such as banks) begins with forecasting the institution's and its clients' liquidity needs over the course of that day. If this projection is that the institutions' clients will need more money over the course of the day than the institution has on hand, the institution will borrow money on the market that day. On the other hand, if the analyst projects that the institution will have surplus money on hand beyond that needed by its clients that day, then it will lend money on the overnight market that day. In this context, the term "overnight" means that the cash borrowed is repaid the following day.[1][2][3]

The bulk of trading occurs in the morning and is based on these projections. If, however, over the course of the day, the actual amount of money required by the institution's clients departs from that projected in the morning, it may become necessary for the institution to borrow money on the overnight market to meet this unexpected demand from its clients; conversely, if the institution finds itself with more funds on hand than it anticipated late in the day, it will then lend those funds on the overnight market.[1]

The overnight rate fluctuates over the course of a business day, depending on the amount of money demanded from and supplied to the overnight market over the course of the day. The rate quoted as the "overnight rate" may be the rate at the end of the day, or an average of the rate over the course of the day.

Banks are the largest participant in the overnight market, although some other large financial institutions, e.g. mutual funds, also buy and sell on the overnight market as a way to manage unanticipated cash needs or as a temporary haven for money until the institution can decide on where to invest that money.[1]

See also[edit]

  • Interbank lending market

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d Siklos, Pierre (2001). Money, Banking, and Financial Institutions: Canada in the Global Environment. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson. p. 50. ISBN 0-07-087158-2.
  2. ^ Mishkin, Frederic S.; Eakins, Stanley G. (2015). Financial Markets and Institutions (Global, 8th ed.). Pearson. p. 303. ISBN 9781292060484.
  3. ^ "Monetary Policy: What Are Its Goals? How Does It Work?". Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. Retrieved 1 May 2021.

The overnight rate is generally the interest rate that large banks use to borrow and lend from one another in the overnight market. In some countries (the United States, for example), the overnight rate may be the rate targeted by the central bank to influence monetary policy. In most countries, the central bank is also a participant on the overnight lending market, and will lend or borrow money to some group of banks.

There may be a published overnight rate that represents an average of the rates at which banks lend to each other; certain types of overnight operations may be limited to qualified banks. The precise name of the overnight rate will vary from country to country.

Background[edit]

Throughout the course of a day, banks will transfer money to each other, to foreign banks, to large clients, and other counterparties on behalf of clients or on their own account. At the end of each working day, a bank may have a surplus or shortage of funds (or a shortage or excess reserves in fractional reserve banking). Banks that have surplus funds or excess reserves may lend them (often at a multiple of their legal reserve ratio, if any) or deposit them with other banks, who borrow from them. The overnight rate is the amount paid to the bank lending the funds.

Banks will also choose to borrow or lend for longer periods of time, depending on their projected needs and opportunities to use money elsewhere.

Most central banks will announce the overnight rate once a month. In Canada, for example, the Bank of Canada sets a target bandwidth for the overnight rate each month of +/- 0.25% around its target overnight rate: the Bank of Canada does not interfere in the overnight market so long as the overnight rate stays within its target band, but the Bank will use its reserves to lend or borrow in the overnight market to ensure that the overnight rate stays within its announced bandwidth.[1]

Measure of liquidity[edit]

Overnight rates are a measure of the liquidity prevailing in the economy. In tight liquidity conditions, overnight rates shoot up. Overnight rates may also shoot up due to lack of confidence amongst banks, as was observed in the liquidity crunch of 2008.

In order to measure liquidity situation, the spread between risk-free rates and overnight rates is considered. The TED spread is a liquidity indicator for the U.S., which is the difference between LIBOR and Treasury bills.

See also[edit]

  • Bank rate
  • Federal funds rate (US Federal Reserve overnight rate)
  • SOFR (Secured Overnight Financing Rate)
  • SELIC (Brazilian Real OverNight index rate)
  • EONIA (Euro OverNight Index Average)
  • SONIA (Sterling OverNight Index Average)
  • SARON (Swiss Average Rate OverNight)
  • TONAR (Tokyo Overnight Average Rate - Japanese Uncollateralised Overnight Call Rate)
  • LIBOR (London Interbank Offered Rate - quotes for various currencies in London money market)
  • EURIBOR (Euro Interbank Offered Rate)
  • SHIBOR (Shanghai Interbank Offered Rate)
  • JIBAR (Johannesburg Interbank Average Rate)
  • Interbank lending market

References[edit]

  1. ^ Siklos, Pierre (2001). Money, Banking, and Financial Institutions: Canada in the Global Environment. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson. pp. 50–51. ISBN 0-07-087158-2.

Which rate is overnight loan rate?

The correct answer is ​ Marginal Standing Facility Rate. Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) rate is the rate at which the scheduled banks borrow funds overnight from RBI against the Government securities.

What is the Bank of Canada overnight rate?

Here's what you should know about the Bank of Canada's October 26, 2022 rate announcement: The Target Overnight Rate will increase by 0.50 percentage points to 3.75%. This is the highest Bank of Canada overnight rate since early 2008.

How do you calculate overnight rate?

The rate that overnight index swaps use must be divided by 360 and added to 1. For example, if this rate is 0.0053% the result is: 0.0053% / 360 + 1 = 1.00001472. In step 8, raise this rate the power of the number of days in the loan and multiply by the principal: 1.00001472^1 x $1,000,000 = $1,000,014.72.

What is an overnight loan?

Meaning of overnight loan in English a loan that a bank makes to another bank for a short period of time: The federal funds rate which is charged on overnight loans between banks is at an historic low.