Finance and Economics Discussion Series (FEDS)
May 2021
Arbitrage Capital of Global Banks
Alyssa G. Anderson, Wenxin Du, and Bernd Schlusche
Abstract:
We show that the role of unsecured, short-term wholesale funding for global banks has changed significantly in the post-financial-crisis regulatory environment. Global banks mainly use such funding to finance liquid, near risk-free arbitrage positions—in particular, the interest on excess reserves arbitrage and the covered interest rate parity arbitrage. In this environment, we examine the response of global banks to a large negative wholesale funding shock as a result of the U.S. money market mutual fund reform implemented in 2016. In contrast to past episodes of wholesale funding dry-ups, we find that the primary response of global banks to the reform was a cutback in arbitrage positions that relied on unsecured funding, rather than a reduction in loan provision.
Accessible materials (.zip)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17016/FEDS.2021.032
PDF: Full Paper
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