Defending the basis

Benefits of additional Treasury liquidity may outweigh potential intervention costs during a hypothetical panic, writes Joseph Wang

US treasury

The Treasury cash futures basis trade has been highlighted rightly for being at the centre of two recent market hiccups. But what is less obvious is its role in supporting the Treasury market during a period of fragility. In this column, I will briefly describe the trade, how it has supported Treasury markets, and why discouraging the trade would create bigger problems for policy-makers.

At a high level, the cash futures basis trade is arbitraging the difference between Treasury futures and

Only users who have a paid subscription or are part of a corporate subscription are able to print or copy content.

To access these options, along with all other subscription benefits, please contact info@centralbanking.com or view our subscription options here: http://subscriptions.centralbanking.com/subscribe

You are currently unable to copy this content. Please contact info@centralbanking.com to find out more.

Sorry, our subscription options are not loading right now

Please try again later. Get in touch with our customer services team if this issue persists.

New to Central Banking? View our subscription options

Register for Central Banking

All fields are mandatory unless otherwise highlighted

This address will be used to create your account

You need to sign in to use this feature. If you don’t have a Central Banking account, please register for a trial.

Sign in
You are currently on corporate access.

To use this feature you will need an individual account. If you have one already please sign in.

Sign in.

Alternatively you can request an individual account

.