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Illya Gerasymchuk
Entrepreneur / Engineer

โฌ‡๏ธ My Thoughts โฌ‡๏ธ

User Illya Gerasymchuk -

2025-08-03 16:24

๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ USD dominance is alluring, accounting for โ‰ˆ70% of currency usage worldwide even countries that do relatively little trade with US have most of their transactions done in US dollars ex: ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ณ India invoices 86% of its exports in USD, while only 15% of its exports being to US

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User Illya Gerasymchuk -

2025-08-02 17:39

legally mortgage backed securities are bonds since they are tradable debt securities but they're not a plain bond, due to the option of borrower's early repayment Macaulay or modified duration used for Treasuries doesn't work - you need effective/option-adjusted duration

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the duration formula for MBS assumes for some pre-payments if those happen at a smaller rate - the duration increases

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User Illya Gerasymchuk -

2025-08-02 17:33

the duration formula for MBS assumes for some pre-payments if those happen at a smaller rate - the duration increases

User

raising yields means lower incentives to re-finance mortgages which reduces the amount of pre-payments thus, the duration increases when yields are raising - so even a higher price decrease

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User Illya Gerasymchuk -

2025-08-02 17:28

raising yields means lower incentives to re-finance mortgages which reduces the amount of pre-payments thus, the duration increases when yields are raising - so even a higher price decrease

User

optionality/convexity premium in mortgage backed securities is interesting when market yields fall the price should rise, but since borrowers take advantage of lower mortgage rates to make early payments - the price does not raise as much, due to lowered duration

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User Illya Gerasymchuk -

2025-08-02 17:19

optionality/convexity premium in mortgage backed securities is interesting when market yields fall the price should rise, but since borrowers take advantage of lower mortgage rates to make early payments - the price does not raise as much, due to lowered duration

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Fed's balance sheet expansion with agency MBS reduced risks in liquidity, market depth and optionality/convexity this is a crucial point to understand - it wasn't just the Fed buying agency MBS, but the explicit government guarantee that accompanied it thus, the yields fell

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User Illya Gerasymchuk -

2025-08-02 17:00

Fed's balance sheet expansion with agency MBS reduced risks in liquidity, market depth and optionality/convexity this is a crucial point to understand - it wasn't just the Fed buying agency MBS, but the explicit government guarantee that accompanied it thus, the yields fell

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Ginnie & Fannie Mae conservatorship in Sept 2008 made agency MBS default risk free essentially, the US Treasury covers all losses from GNMA and FNMA up to $200 billion each from the total $400B budget โ‰ˆ$170B are still available once exhausted it will surely be increased

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User Illya Gerasymchuk -

2025-08-02 16:52

Ginnie & Fannie Mae conservatorship in Sept 2008 made agency MBS default risk free essentially, the US Treasury covers all losses from GNMA and FNMA up to $200 billion each from the total $400B budget โ‰ˆ$170B are still available once exhausted it will surely be increased

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to lower the mortgage rates the Fed can purchase agency MBS - likely they did in QE 1 2008 buying mortgage backed securities raises their price and provides liquidity for dealers. this directly pushes down the yields expect some MBS QE to come in the near future

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User Illya Gerasymchuk -

2025-08-02 16:28

to lower the mortgage rates the Fed can purchase agency MBS - likely they did in QE 1 2008 buying mortgage backed securities raises their price and provides liquidity for dealers. this directly pushes down the yields expect some MBS QE to come in the near future

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User Illya Gerasymchuk -

2025-08-02 00:59

gold hasn't broken the weekly uptrend - note the higher highs buying pressure today pushed the price up โ‰ˆ2.5% TA is an excellent tool to gauge the price action

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gold price is back up to its price 2 weeks ago so it indeed was a good idea to long it at the pullback

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User Illya Gerasymchuk -

2025-08-01 21:45

gold price is back up to its price 2 weeks ago so it indeed was a good idea to long it at the pullback

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consider this gold pullback as a free gift to further extend your long position ๐Ÿฅณ

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User Illya Gerasymchuk -

2025-08-01 18:14

if you've read my previous posts you know that gold is โ‰ˆ36% of Russia's international reserves this is taken straight from the Bank of Russia's balance sheet statement 100% of it is stored in Russia, thus no counterparty risk critical component of Ruble's strength

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๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ USD/RUB rate already fell to July 24th close, below 80 although it's also important to note that there are several factors at play - USD index is also down today despite oil down - gold is up. this is about the monetary policy of Russia and their balance sheet structure

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User Illya Gerasymchuk -

2025-08-01 17:58

๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ USD/RUB rate already fell to July 24th close, below 80 although it's also important to note that there are several factors at play - USD index is also down today despite oil down - gold is up. this is about the monetary policy of Russia and their balance sheet structure

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๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ oil up is GOOD news for Russia & Ruble every surplus above $60/barrel of Urals oil increases FX reserves in NWF (Yuan or gold) - an interplay between MoF and CBR exporters pay taxes in Ruble - so higher buying pressure mark my words: ๐Ÿ‘‰ you'll see USD/RUB exchange rate fall

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User Illya Gerasymchuk -

2025-07-31 11:06

and this is how the Federal Reserve steers the federal funds rate/interest rates in the market within the target range ๐Ÿฆโœจ follow the quoted posts to read the full thread/article

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together, ON RRP, IORB, Discount Rate and SRF create a corridor for rates, which stay within the target 4.25%-4.50% ๐Ÿ‘‰ by "firms" i mean select non-bank financial institutions - think dealers, market makers & other wholesale debt institutions

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User Illya Gerasymchuk -

2025-07-31 10:43

together, ON RRP, IORB, Discount Rate and SRF create a corridor for rates, which stay within the target 4.25%-4.50% ๐Ÿ‘‰ by "firms" i mean select non-bank financial institutions - think dealers, market makers & other wholesale debt institutions

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current rates set by FED: 1๏ธโƒฃ ON RRP - 4.25% (floor) - firms won't lend below 2๏ธโƒฃ IORB - 4.40% (supplementary floor) - banks won't lend below 3๏ธโƒฃ Discount Rate - 4.50% (ceiling) - banks won't borrow above 4๏ธโƒฃ SRF - 4.50% (supplementary ceiling) - banks & firms won't borrow above

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User Illya Gerasymchuk -

2025-07-31 10:40

current rates set by FED: 1๏ธโƒฃ ON RRP - 4.25% (floor) - firms won't lend below 2๏ธโƒฃ IORB - 4.40% (supplementary floor) - banks won't lend below 3๏ธโƒฃ Discount Rate - 4.50% (ceiling) - banks won't borrow above 4๏ธโƒฃ SRF - 4.50% (supplementary ceiling) - banks & firms won't borrow above

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so how does the FED currently targets an interest rate range between 4.25%-4.50%? let's consolidate everything with an example using current, real-world data

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User Illya Gerasymchuk -

2025-07-31 10:38

so how does the FED currently targets an interest rate range between 4.25%-4.50%? let's consolidate everything with an example using current, real-world data

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SRF has been introduced in 2021, due to occasional spikes of short-term funding rates outside of the corridor this is because banks avoid using the discount rate - as that is often seen as a sign of financial distress by the broader market

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User Illya Gerasymchuk -

2025-07-31 10:36

SRF has been introduced in 2021, due to occasional spikes of short-term funding rates outside of the corridor this is because banks avoid using the discount rate - as that is often seen as a sign of financial distress by the broader market

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thus, Standing Repo Facility (SRF) further reinforces the upper part of the target interest rate corridor in other words, it strengthens the cap on short-term interest rates

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User Illya Gerasymchuk -

2025-07-31 10:34

thus, Standing Repo Facility (SRF) further reinforces the upper part of the target interest rate corridor in other words, it strengthens the cap on short-term interest rates

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Standing Repo Facility (SRF) allows banks & other financial institutions to do collateral-backed loans from the FED overnight the institution provides high quality collateral (e.g. treasury bond) and gets a loan against it - at the set rate

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User Illya Gerasymchuk -

2025-07-31 10:32

Standing Repo Facility (SRF) allows banks & other financial institutions to do collateral-backed loans from the FED overnight the institution provides high quality collateral (e.g. treasury bond) and gets a loan against it - at the set rate

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it't called discount window for historical reasons discounting means buying treasuries at a slightly lower price - i.e. at a discount window comes from the fact that these were sold at counter/teller windows at the bank

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User Illya Gerasymchuk -

2025-07-31 10:30

it't called discount window for historical reasons discounting means buying treasuries at a slightly lower price - i.e. at a discount window comes from the fact that these were sold at counter/teller windows at the bank

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the discount rate is set higher or at the typical market rates to disincentivize its use it's really meant to serve as an emergency lending source - only when other financing routes are exhausted: regular interbank markets, wholesale markets and SRF among others

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User Illya Gerasymchuk -

2025-07-31 10:30

the discount rate is set higher or at the typical market rates to disincentivize its use it's really meant to serve as an emergency lending source - only when other financing routes are exhausted: regular interbank markets, wholesale markets and SRF among others

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Discount Rate is the rate at which the FED lends directly to banks through its discount window think of it as an emergency lending facility which the banks can use whenever they need funds since banks can always get a loan at that rate - it caps the short-term interest rates

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User Illya Gerasymchuk -

2025-07-31 10:28

Discount Rate is the rate at which the FED lends directly to banks through its discount window think of it as an emergency lending facility which the banks can use whenever they need funds since banks can always get a loan at that rate - it caps the short-term interest rates

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the majority of liquidity is actually created in wholesale short-term debt markets ON RRP addresses exactly that sector, thus setting the lower bound of the target interest rate corridor for the broader financial sector

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User Illya Gerasymchuk -

2025-07-31 10:27

the majority of liquidity is actually created in wholesale short-term debt markets ON RRP addresses exactly that sector, thus setting the lower bound of the target interest rate corridor for the broader financial sector

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ON RRP further reinforces the the floor for the market-wide interest rates since it's accessible to a broader set of financial institutions - not only banks. those now also have little incentive to lend below the ON RRP rate

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User Illya Gerasymchuk -

2025-07-31 10:26

ON RRP further reinforces the the floor for the market-wide interest rates since it's accessible to a broader set of financial institutions - not only banks. those now also have little incentive to lend below the ON RRP rate

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Overnight Reverse Repo Rate (ON RRP) defines the rate at financial institutions can lend money overnight to the FED in return the FED provides treasury bonds as a collateral ON RRP is accessible to both banks & non-banks (e.g. money market funds)

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User Illya Gerasymchuk -

2025-07-31 10:11

Overnight Reverse Repo Rate (ON RRP) defines the rate at financial institutions can lend money overnight to the FED in return the FED provides treasury bonds as a collateral ON RRP is accessible to both banks & non-banks (e.g. money market funds)

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since banks can always deposit cash into their reserve account account at the FED and earn the IORB rate they have little incentive to lend at rates below IORB effectively, this sets the floor (lower bound of the corridor) for interest rates for banks

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