The Dynamics of the U.S. Overnight Triparty Repo Market

The overnight segment of the triparty repurchase agreement (repo) market plays a pivotal role in the normal functioning of the U.S. financial system by acting as an important source of secured short-term funding and supporting the liquidity of key fixed income markets, including U.S. Treasury and agency securities. This over-the-counter market accounts for over $1 trillion in daily transactions and provides a unique venue in which a diverse set of market participants invest their cash as well as obtain short-term funding.

A Survey of the Microstructure of Fixed-Income Markets

In this article, we survey the literature that studies fixed-income trading rules and outcomes, including Treasury securities, corporate and municipal bonds, and structured credit products. We compare and contrast the microstructure and regulation of fixed-income markets with equity markets. We highlight the nature of over-the-counter trading in the face of search costs and the associated slow evolution of electronically facilitated intermediation. We discuss the databases available to study fixed-income microstructure, as well as measures and determinants of trading costs, and the important roles dealer networks and limited transparency play. We also highlight unresolved issues.

Plan Termination: Should I File an IRS Determination Letter Request?

For sponsors of defined benefit (“DB”) plans considering plan termination, analysis of the pros and cons of filing an Application for Determination Upon Termination with the IRS should encompass the financial and legal implications, including tradeoffs related to “legal certainty,” in particular. Such tradeoffs are the result of the IRS’s Favorable Determination on such an Application against potential, intervening financial risks related to fluctuations in credit/fixed income markets, as well as market performance of a DB plan’s underlying assets.