Performance Evaluation of the H.6 Statistical Release
Money Stock Measures

I. Introduction

The Federal Reserve Board's Statistical Release H.6, "Money Stock Measures, is issued each Thursday, generally at 4:30 p.m., unless Thursday is a federal holiday, in which case the release is issued on Friday, generally at 4:30 p.m. The release provides information on the monetary aggregates and their components. The data on the monetary aggregates play a role in the formulation and conduct of U.S. monetary policy. A copy of the H.6 release is included as attachment 1.

Table 1 of the H.6 release presents monthly data on the two major monetary aggregates, Ml and M2, over the most recent two-year period.¹�Data that are both seasonally and not seasonally adjusted are shown. Table 2 presents the recent growth trends in M1 and M2, as well as 1-, 4-, and 13-week average data on the aggregates. Tables 3 and 4 present monthly and weekly seasonally adjusted data on the components of M1, the components of M2 not included in M1 (non-M1 M2), and institutional money funds. Tables 5 and 6 present the components of the monetary aggregates and institutional money funds on a not-seasonally-adjusted basis. Table 7 provides monthly and weekly data for selected series, mainly deposit items that are excluded from the monetary aggregates and U.S. government deposits.

Most of the data shown on the H.6 release are reported by depository institutions, though some information is obtained from nonbank issuers of traveler's checks and from money market mutual funds (MMMFs). The frequency of data collection ranges from daily to annual.²

A more detailed discussion of the H.6 release follows. It begins with a brief history of the release and its definitions and concepts, followed by a description of the release's various data sources, including information required by section 8, Performance Evaluation, of Statistical Policy Directive No. 3.

II. Historical and Analytical Background

The Federal Reserve System has constructed and published monetary statistics since 1914. Timely and accurate data on the monetary aggregates are needed by the Board of Governors and the Federal Open Market Committee for use in monetary policy deliberations and by the public in assessing financial flows and conditions and their implications for the economy.

Concepts and definitions of the money stock have evolved over time, reflecting changes in the regulatory and institutional environment. For example, the publication of the M3 monetary aggregate on the H.6 release was discontinued in March 2006. M3 did not appear to convey any additional information about economic activity that was not already embodied in M2, and it had not played a role in the monetary policy process for many years. Consequently, the Federal Reserve Board judged that the costs of collecting the underlying data and publishing M3 outweighed the benefits.

The footnotes of the H.6 release detail the current definitions of money stock concepts, which are summarized here.

Ml is made up of funds that are readily accessible for spending. M1 consists of (1) currency outside the U.S. Treasury, Federal Reserve Banks, and the vaults of depository institutions; (2) traveler's checks of nonbank issuers; (3) demand deposits; and (4) other checkable deposits (OCDs), which consist primarily of negotiable order of withdrawal (NOW) accounts at depository institutions, credit union share draft accounts, and demand deposits at thrift institutions. Seasonally adjusted M1 is calculated by summing currency, traveler's checks, demand deposits, and OCDs, each seasonally adjusted separately.

M2 consists of a broader set of financial assets held principally by households. M2 is composed of M1 plus (1) savings deposits (which include money market deposit accounts (MMDAs)); (2) small-denomination time deposits (time deposits in amounts of less than $100,000); and (3) balances in retail MMMFs. Seasonally adjusted M2 is computed by summing savings deposits, small-denomination time deposits, and retail MMMFs, each seasonally adjusted separately, and adding this result to seasonally adjusted M1.

Deposits at depository institutions held by the U.S. government, U.S. and foreign depository institutions, and foreign official institutions are excluded from the monetary aggregates. Government and interbank deposits are excluded because the monetary aggregates measure money in the hands of the nonbank public in the United States.

III. Sources and Methodology

A. Major Deposits Reports

The primary information source for construction of the monetary aggregates is the reports of deposits filed by depository institutions. The system governing the filing of these reports is closely tied to the structure of reserve requirements, which are established by statute (section 19 of the Federal Reserve Act) and implemented pursuant to Federal Reserve Regulation D (Reserve Requirements of Depository Institutions).

The frequency with which an institution files a report of deposits depends on the institution's net transaction accounts, its total deposits, and its total transaction accounts, savings deposits, and small-denomination time deposits. For more information on how institutions are assigned to reporting panels, see the Reserve Maintenance Manual at www.frbservices.org/files/regulations/pdf/rmm.pdf.

The primary report of deposits is the Report of Transaction Accounts, Other Deposits, and Vault Cash (FR 2900; OMB No. 7100-0087). A copy of the FR 2900 reporting form is included as attachment 2. This report contains 12 items, 7 of which are used in the construction of the monetary aggregates: other demand deposits; automated transfer service (ATS) accounts and NOW accounts/share drafts; and telephone and preauthorized transfers, cash items in the process of collection, total savings deposits, total time deposits, total time deposits with balances of $100,000 or more, and vault cash.³ �This report is filed either weekly or quarterly, depending on the institution's assigned reporting category. Weekly filers of the FR 2900 report daily data for the deposit week, which begins on a Tuesday and ends on the following Monday. As of June 2012, about 2,500 institutions reported the FR 2900 on a weekly basis and held about 92 percent of all deposit liabilities. Quarterly filers of the FR 2900 report daily data for one week each quarter. The quarterly report week begins on the third Tuesday in the months of March, June, September, and December and ends on the following Monday. As of June 2012, about 4,700 institutions reported the FR 2900 on a quarterly basis and held about 6 percent of all deposit liabilities.

All FR 2900 respondents (weekly and quarterly) that offer deposits denominated in foreign currencies at their U.S. offices file the Report of Foreign (Non-U.S.) Currency Deposits (FR 2915; OMB No. 7100-0237). A copy of the FR 2915 reporting form is included as attachment 3. As of June 2012, about 147 depository institutions filed this report. The report collects seven-day averages, as opposed to daily data, on the same schedule and frequency as the quarterly FR 2900 report. The amounts of foreign currency deposits held at U.S. offices are converted to U.S. dollars and included in the appropriate line item on the institution's FR 2900 report. Foreign-currency-denominated deposits are reservable, but such deposits are excluded from the monetary aggregates; therefore, foreign currency deposits reported on the FR 2915 are subtracted from the appropriate component when the monetary aggregates are constructed.

The Federal Reserve uses the quarterly reports of condition (Call Reports) that are submitted to the various federal regulatory agencies to estimate the contribution to the monetary aggregates from approximately 7,300 depository institutions that are not required to file an FR 2900.⁴ �As of June 2012, these institutions held about 2 percent of all deposit liabilities.

If a depository institution's Call Report is not readily available, the Annual Report of Deposits and Reservable Liabilities (FR 2910a; OMB No. 7100-0175) is used to estimate a depository institution's liabilities for the purposes of constructing the monetary aggregates. A copy of the FR 2910a report form is included as attachment 4. In June 2012, there were approximately eight such institutions, with aggregate deposits of about $80 million.

In summary, the current reporting framework furnishes at least some information on deposits and vault cash from all depository institutions. For institutions that do not file a deposit report weekly, the Federal Reserve Board staff uses the most recent quarterly or annual report filed to estimate deposits and vault cash on a weekly basis until the next report becomes available. The published monetary data are revised quarterly to reflect the difference between the estimates and newly reported data.

B. Data Sources Used to Construct the Components of the Monetary Aggregates

This section discusses the construction of and data sources for each of the major components of the monetary aggregates.

The currency component of M1, sometimes called money stock currency, is defined as currency in circulation outside the U.S. Treasury, the Federal Reserve Banks, and the vaults of depository institutions. Data on total currency in circulation are obtained weekly from balance sheets of the Federal Reserve Banks and from the U.S. Treasury. Weekly data on currency in circulation are published each week on the Federal Reserve Board's H.4.1 statistical release, "Factors Affecting Reserve Balances of Depository Institutions and Condition Statement of Federal Reserve Banks. Vault cash is reported on the FR 2900 and subtracted from total currency in circulation. For institutions that do not file the FR 2900, vault cash is estimated using data reported on the Call Reports.

Data for the nonbank traveler's checks component of Ml are reported by six nonbank issuers of traveler's checks as of the last business day of each month. Traveler's checks issued by banks are included in the demand deposit component of M1. The respondents provide the information on nonbank traveler's checks by e-mail.

The demand deposits component of M1 is defined as total demand deposits at commercial banks and foreign-related institutions other than those due to the U.S. government, U.S. and foreign depository institutions, and foreign official institutions. In order to avoid double-counting those deposits that are simultaneously on the books of two depository institutions, the demand deposit component of M1 excludes cash items in the process of collection (CIPC) and Federal Reserve float. Demand deposits due to depository institutions in the United States and the U.S. government, as well as other demand deposits and CIPC, are reported on the FR 2900 and, for institutions that do not file the FR 2900, are estimated using data reported on the Call Reports. Demand deposits held by foreign banks and foreign official institutions are estimated using data reported on the Call Reports. Federal Reserve float is obtained weekly from the consolidated balance sheet of the Federal Reserve Banks, which is published each week in the Federal Reserve Board's H.4.1 statistical release.

The other checkable deposits component of M1 consists of NOW accounts and ATS balances at banks, thrifts, and foreign-related institutions; credit union share draft balances; and demand deposits at thrifts. These items are reported on the FR 2900 and, for institutions that do not file the FR 2900, are estimated using data reported on the Call Reports.

The savings deposits component of M2 consists of passbook-type savings deposits as well as MMDAs at banks and thrifts. This item is reported on the FR 2900 and, for institutions that do not file the FR 2900, is estimated using data reported on the Call Reports.⁵

The small-denomination time deposits component of M2 consists of time deposits at banks and thrifts with balances less than $100,000. The small-denomination time deposits component of M2 excludes individual retirement account (IRA) and Keogh balances at depository institutions because heavy penalties for pre-retirement withdrawals make these balances too illiquid to be included in the monetary aggregates. Gross small-denomination time deposits are derived as the difference between total time deposits and time deposits with balances of $100,000 or more, both of which are reported on the FR 2900. For institutions that do not file an FR 2900, gross small-denomination time deposits are estimated using data reported on the Call Reports. IRA and Keogh account balances at depository institutions are also estimated using data reported on the Call Reports.⁶

The retail money funds component of M2 and the memorandum item institutional money funds are constructed from weekly data collected by the Investment Company Institute (ICI), a trade association for the investment company industry. ICI collects weekly data from approximately 1,650 funds. The retail money funds component of M2 excludes IRA and Keogh balances held by MMMFs, which are reported by ICI on a quarterly basis.

IV. Publication Schedule

A. Processing of the H.6 Release

The H.6 release is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. each Thursday, unless Thursday is a federal holiday, in which case the release is issued on the following business day. The release incorporates money stock data through the week that ended on Monday of the previous week (10 days earlier). Time series of H.6 data are also made available to the public electronically on the Federal Reserve Board's public website, found at www.federalreserve.gov/releases, shortly after 4:30 p.m. Since October 27, 2011, H.6 data have also been available through the Federal Reserve Board's Data Download Program, which provides interactive access in a variety of formats. The H.6 release has been published on time every week over the past three years.

Release to the public is handled by the Federal Reserve Board's Public Affairs Office. Interested parties may receive the publication by mail for a fee, though the mailing list contains less than 16 addressees. Many people obtain the data through secondary sources such as newspapers, electronic data systems, and private data collection firms.

B. Avoidance of Premature Disclosure

Data on the H.6 release are provided to the public in aggregate form only. For most of the underlying reports, data from individual respondents are held confidential under the Freedom of Information Act.

Prior to publication of the H.6 release every week, access to the latest H.6 data is limited to members of the Board of Governors and selected Federal Reserve staff members who are responsible for any of the following tasks: (a) receiving data transmissions from the Reserve Banks, (b) reviewing the data for quality and completeness, and (c) preparing and reviewing the H.6 release prior to its publication.

The Federal Reserve Board provides the H.6 data to credentialed news services approximately 30 minutes in advance of the public release time. The Board has procedures to remediate situations in which a news organization prematurely discloses H.6 data prior to the public release time, including revoking an organization's access to embargoed H.6 data. There has been no premature disclosure of the data by the Federal Reserve over the past three years.

C. Accuracy and Reliability

Data on the H.6 release are revised for three reasons: (1) revisions to the data reported, (2) revisions to estimates that result from newly reported monthly or quarterly data, and (3) annual revisions to seasonal factors.

FR 2900 weekly data for the latest five weeks are especially subject to revision, and these revisions are included in the data published each week. Similarly, revisions to the past three quarters of quarterly FR 2900 data are included in the data published each week. Generally, twice each year, revisions to FR 2900 data outside the window just described are published in the H.6 release, and historical data incorporating these revisions are made available on the Federal Reserve Board's public website.

Newly reported data from the quarterly Call Reports and revised data from previously reported Call Reports are used to revise estimates of several netting items (discussed earlier) as well as estimates of deposits and vault cash data for those depository institutions that do not report on the FR 2900. Generally, these revisions are included on the H.6 release quarterly.

Data on IRA and Keogh balances held by MMMFs are used to revise prior estimates of this item about quarterly and are included on the H.6 release (IRA and Keogh balances held by MMMFs are subtracted from gross retail MMMFs).

In general, in late January or early February each year, seasonal factors for the aggregates and their components are re-estimated. The revised seasonal factors are announced to the public in a special cover note on the first H.6 release in which they are incorporated. A comparison of monetary data before and after the factors have been re-estimated is included in that release as well. Revised historical data are posted on the Federal Reserve Board's website. Any definitional and methodological changes in measurement are usually implemented at the same time and are fully discussed in the cover note.

Experience suggests that the explanations provided in footnotes and special attachments to the H.6 release generally are sufficient to inform the public. Individuals have infrequently telephoned or written Federal Reserve Board staff seeking clarification of technical or methodological issues. The Federal Reserve Board takes pride in the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of the information it disseminates to the public. (See "Guidelines for Ensuring and Maximizing the Quality, Objectivity, Utility, and Integrity of Information Disseminated by the Federal Reserve Board at www.federalreserve.gov/iq_guidelines.htm). If there are a significant number of inquiries concerning a specific point, footnote, or text component on the H.6 release, then that item may be amended.

D. Dissemination of Revised and Historical Data

Federal Reserve Board publications and the Federal Reserve Board website are arranged so that historical data (including revisions) are available to the public in a convenient form and so that revisions can be tracked through time.

The Federal Reserve Board's public website, www.federalreserve.gov/releases/h6, has the H.6 releases back to April 1, 1999, as well as up-to-date (revised) historical data back to January 1959 for the monthly series and back to January 1981 for the weekly series.

List of Attachments:

1. H.6 release (H.6)
2. FR 2900: Report of Transaction Accounts, Other Deposits and Vault Cash
   (FR 2900)
3. FR 2915: Report of Foreign (Non-U.S.) Currency Deposits (FR 2915)
4. FR 2910a: Annual Report of Total Deposits and Reservable Liabilities (FR 2910a)

Footnotes

1. Other aggregates formerly shown on the H.6 release consist of the M3 aggregate (discontinued in 2006), the nonfinancial "debt" aggregate (discontinued in 2002), and the "L" aggregate (discontinued in 1998). Return to text

2. Most of the Federal Reserve reports used for construction of the monetary aggregates are used for other purposes as well. Detailed information on these reports is available from the respective supporting statements on file at the Office of Management and Budget, in the associated Federal Register notice, or on the Federal Reserve Board's website (under "Reporting Forms") at www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/reportforms/default.cfm. Return to text

3. The remaining items on the report are used in the calculation of a depository institution's reserve requirement. Return to text

4. The Call Reports are submitted to the following agencies: the Federal Reserve Board, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (which collect data on FFIEC 031/041; OMB No. 7100-0036); and the National Credit Union Administration (which collects data on NCUA 5300; OMB No. 3133-0004). Return to text

5. The savings deposits component also includes an estimate of certain telephone transfer accounts at depository institutions. Return to text

6. The small-denomination time deposits component also includes an estimate of retail repurchase agreements held at banks and thrifts. Return to text