In the two days to yesterday, the total value of such drain offs is $ 26.85 million. Conversions are made, based on the current, administered spot price of Rs 133.70 to the US Dollar.
As a result, Rs 996.15 million worth of excess liquidity was drained off from the money market yesterday, taking up the drying up of excess liquidity in the two days to yesterday to Rs 3.6 billion.
Nevertheless, with excess liquidity at Rs 122.5 billion as at yesterday, the weighted average rate of call money fell by one basis point to 6.11%, while that of overnight market repo transactions remained unchanged at 5.79%. Meanwhile, 49.22% of this excess liquidity comprises CB's buying of Treasury (T) Bill holdings (Rs 60.31 billion), ie lending printed money to the government. CB uplifting excess liquidity this way may cause demand side inflationary pressure on the economy, thereby hurting the poor and the fixed wage earner the hardest.
The ideal way to boost excess liquidity is to encourage inflows. However, inflows have dried up due to the current political instability facing the country.
Courtesy: Ceylon Financial Times 22 May 2015