(Zero Hedge)—Bank reserves at The Fed rose considerably last week expanding The Fed’s balance sheet by the most since the SVB crisis last March – as usage of The Fed’s BTFP bank-bailout facility pushed to a new record high (amid increasing arbitrage flows).
But, after four straight weeks of inflows, seasonally-adjusted bank deposits saw $23.3BN outflows in the first week of 2024…
And, on a non-seasonally-adjusted basis, deposits also saw an outflow (-$33.7BN) after five weeks in a row of inflows (NSA)…
Which means that while money-market funds hit a new record high, bank deposits did pull back a little (despite the drain in RRP filling the liquidity gap)…
Excluding foreign bank flows, domestic banks saw deposit outflows of just over $40BN (SA and NSA) – the first in 5 weeks…
Large banks dominated that deposit outflow (Large -$39.9BN, Small -$347MN)…
On the other side of the ledger, Large bank loan volumes tumbled (-$16.6BN) for the 5th week in row (small bank loan volume rose $4.3BN)…
The Fed’s reverse repo facility is draining fast (faster each week), getting closer and closer to zero…
…at which point reserves get yanked, which mean huge deposit flight.
And the embarrassing surge in usage of The Fed’s BTFP for free-money-arbitrage…
…will make it hard for The Fed to defend leaving the facility open after March when its “temporary” nature is supposed to expire.
“In justifying the generous terms of the original program, the Fed cited the ‘unusual and exigent’ market conditions facing the banking industry following last spring’s deposit runs,” Wrightson ICAP economist Lou Crandall wrote in a note to clients.
“It would be difficult to defend a renewal in today’s more normal environment.”
Which means, as we pointed out earlier in the week, “March will be lit”…
March will be lit:
1. Reverse repo ends
2. BTFP expires
3. Fed cuts (allegedly)
4. QT ends (allegedly)— zerohedge (@zerohedge) January 8, 2024
Because without the help of The Fed’s BTFP, the regional banking crisis is back bigly (red line), and large bank cash needs a home – green line – like picking up a small bank from the FDIC…
And now you know why The Fed will cut rates in March – no matter what jobs or inflation is doing.
Why One Survival Food Company Shines Above the Rest
Let’s be real. “Prepper Food” or “Survival Food” is generally awful. The vast majority of companies that push their cans, bags, or buckets desperately hope that their customers never try them and stick them in the closet or pantry instead. Why? Because if the first time they try them is after the crap hits the fan, they’ll be too shaken to call and complain about the quality.
It’s true. Most long-term storage food is made with the cheapest possible ingredients with limited taste and even less nutritional value. This is why they tout calories so much. Sure, they provide calories but does anyone really want to go into the apocalypse with food their family can’t stand?
This is what prompted the Llewellyns to launch Heaven’s Harvest. They bought survival food from multiple companies and determined they couldn’t imagine being stuck in an extended emergency with such low-quality food. They quickly discovered that freeze drying food for long-term storage doesn’t have to mean sacrificing flavor, consistency, or nutrition.
Their ingredients are all-American. In fact, they’re locally sourced and all-natural! This allows their products to be the highest quality on the market, so good that their customers often break open a bag in a pinch to eat because they want to, not just because they have to due to an emergency.
At Heaven’s Harvest, their only focus is amazing food. They don’t sell bugout bags, solar chargers, or multitools. They have one mission – feeding Americans in times of crisis.
What they DO offer is the ability for people to thrive in times of greatest need. On top of long-term storage food, they offer seeds to help Americans for the truly long-term. They want them to grow their own food if possible which is why they offer only Heirloom, Non-GMO, Non-Hybrid, Open-Pollinated seeds so their customers can build permanent food security on their own property.
