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Agency MBS as Safe Assets

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  • Zhiguo He
  • Zhaogang Song

Abstract

Measured as yield spreads against AAA corporate bonds, the convenience premium for agency MBS averaged 47 basis points between 1995 and 2021, about half of the long-term-Treasury convenience premium. Both the MBS convenience premium and the issuance amount vary negatively with the mortgage rate, which is consistent with a prepayment-driven demand channel. This negative dependence contrasts strikingly with the positive dependence of the MBS-repo convenience premium on interest rates, as implied by the “opportunity cost of money” hypothesis. The placing of agencies into conservatorship in 2008 and the introduction of the liquidity coverage ratio in 2013 affected the convenience premium significantly, which is consistent with the safety and regulatory-constraint channels of demand for MBS. Based on “structural” restrictions in standard models, the ratio of MBS to Treasury convenience premia pinpoints the time-varying MBS-specific demand empirically.

Suggested Citation

  • Zhiguo He & Zhaogang Song, 2022. "Agency MBS as Safe Assets," NBER Working Papers 29899, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:29899
    Note: AP IFM ME
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    Cited by:

    1. Thomas M. Eisenbach & Gregory Phelan, 2022. "Fragility of Safe Asset Markets," Staff Reports 1026, Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • E44 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Money and Interest Rates - - - Financial Markets and the Macroeconomy
    • E58 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Central Banks and Their Policies
    • G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing; Trading Volume; Bond Interest Rates
    • G18 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Government Policy and Regulation
    • G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages

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