$202 Billion Treasury Settlement Looms: Could Bitcoin Face a Liquidity Shock?

Stock News12:45

According to Woofun AI, the $202 billion Treasury coupon settlement scheduled by the U.S. Department of the Treasury on September 30 is drawing intense market attention.

This massive capital flow not only tests overnight funding conditions at quarter-end but could also indirectly affect the Bitcoin market through interest rate volatility, prompting investors to guard against unexpected price swings.

Looking at the specific structure of the debt issuance, this settlement involves several key maturities. The Treasury has arranged reopenings of 10-year inflation-protected securities, 2-year notes, 5-year notes, and 7-year notes, all set to complete trading that day.

The public face amounts for each are set at $19 billion, $69 billion, $70 billion, and $44 billion respectively, bringing the total to $202 billion.

At the same time, $143.58 billion in publicly held coupon-bearing debt will mature that day, producing a net new face amount of $58.42 billion.

It is worth noting that this net new figure only reflects the amount of securities that still need to be issued after maturities and does not directly equate to actual cash outflows or a reduction in bank reserves.

The final actual cash flow situation will also be affected by auction prices, inflation adjustment factors, and the pace of Treasury spending.

In addition, bonds auctioned before quarter-end are scheduled to settle on October 1, so they are not included in the above coupon settlement amount.

Facing potential liquidity pressure, the central bank's response strategy and the current rate environment have become key indicators to watch. The New York Federal Home Loan Bank plans to carry out about $15.6 billion in reinvestment purchases between September 15 and October 14, but has explicitly suspended operations specifically intended to manage bank reserves.

This means the Federal Reserve is still replacing maturing mortgage-backed securities principal with Treasury bills rather than actively increasing reserves.

Roberto Perli of the New York Federal Home Loan Bank emphasized on September 22 that bank reserves are currently ample and funding markets remain orderly.

As a broad measure of overnight Treasury-backed borrowing costs, SOFR stood at 3.88% on September 24.

Data compiled by Woofun AI shows that SOFR was 3.85% on September 18 and September 21, consistently below the 3.90% rate the Federal Reserve pays on bank reserves.

Although SOFR is trending upward, institutions still believe market funding conditions are stable. If SOFR rises only briefly at quarter-end and then quickly falls back, its signal strength would be weaker than a sustained pressure situation above the reserve rate.

In verifying the transmission mechanism to the Bitcoin market, traders are closely monitoring whether financing conditions in perpetual futures deteriorate and whether futures market premiums narrow. Declining market depth, lower leverage, and weak spot conditions can serve as corroborating indicators.

A recent CryptoSlate report noted that the decline in derivatives positions before settlement was mainly driven by changes in U.S. Treasury bond yields rather than repo operations.

If repo rates and Bitcoin financing conditions remain stable after settlement, then the expected transmission effect lacks supporting evidence. Even if a Bitcoin price decline and a rise in SOFR occur at the same time, the overlap in timing alone is not enough to conclude that there is a causal relationship; rational analysis requires ruling out other interfering variables.

Disclaimer: Investing carries risk. This is not financial advice. The above content should not be regarded as an offer, recommendation, or solicitation on acquiring or disposing of any financial products, any associated discussions, comments, or posts by author or other users should not be considered as such either. It is solely for general information purpose only, which does not consider your own investment objectives, financial situations or needs. TTM assumes no responsibility or warranty for the accuracy and completeness of the information, investors should do their own research and may seek professional advice before investing.

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