Sweden
Sweden[SEK]
Institutional framework
According to the Sveriges Riksbank Act, the objective for monetary policy is "to maintain price stability". The Riksbank has interpreted this objective to mean a low, stable rate of inflation. More precisely, the Riksbank's target is to hold inflation in terms of the CPIF around 2 per cent a year. The main monetary policy instrument is the policy rate - the repo rate - that the board of governors decides normally 5 times a year.
The Riksbank has chosen to influence the shortest-term rate on loans between banks from one business day and the next, known as the overnight rate. To steer the overnight rate, the Riksbank uses standing facilities and carries out market operations with its monetary policy counterparties. The purpose of this is to stabilise the overnight rate close to the level of the policy rate - the Riksbank's repo rate - as adopted by the Executive Board of the Riksbank.
Standing facilities
Only participants of the Riksbank's payment system RIX who are also monetary policy counterparties have access to the Riksbank's standing facilities. By using standing facilities for deposits and loans overnight, the Riksbank sets limits - an "interest rate corridor" - for the overnight rate, in which the deposit rate forms the floor and the lending rate the ceiling in the corridor. The overnight interest rate should lie inside the interest rate corridor because a monetary policy counterparty in need of liquidity can always borrow from the Riksbank against collateral at the lending rate and a monetary policy counterparty with surplus liquidity can deposit the surplus in the Riksbank at the deposit rate. As there is a difference between the deposit and lending rates, counterparties have an incentive with regard to intraday loans to agree on an interest rate that lies between the rates they would pay to or receive from the Riksbank.
The pricing of the standing facilities is such that the deposit rate equals the Riksbank's policy rate minus 0.10 percentage points and the lending rate equals the policy rate plus 0.10 percentage points. If the balance of a monetary policy counterparty's account in RIX shows a deficit when the payment system closes for the day, the counterparty will have to pay the lending rate on the balance overnight (ie until the next business day). If the balance of a monetary policy counterparty's account shows a surplus when the payment system closes, the counterparty will earn the deposit rate on the sum overnight. The sum that can be borrowed in the lending facility is limited by the adjusted value of the collateral provided by the counterparty. There is no limit on how much a counterparty may deposit in the deposit facility.
Market operations
It is important for the Riksbank's ability to steer the overnight rate within the interest rate corridor so that the liquidity of the banking system is in balance at the end of the day. To ensure that this is the case, the Riksbank carries out regular market operations.
Weekly market operations
Since 2008, the banking system has had a liquidity surplus in relation to the Riksbank. Every week, the Riksbank therefore offers Riksbank Certificates with one week's maturity at the policy rate to absorb this liquidity. The Riksbank's monetary policy counterparties are thus given the opportunity to invest in a risk-free security with short maturity. The volume of issues corresponds to the banking system's liquidity surplus in relation to the Riksbank minus an amount deemed appropriate at each issue. If demand for certificates is greater than the offered amount, allocation takes place on a pro rata basis. If the banking system had had a liquidity deficit in relation to the Riksbank, the Riksbank would instead have supplied liquidity via weekly monetary policy repos or via lending against eligible collateral.
Non-standard monetary policy measures
To make monetary policy more expansionary and to ensure that the inflation target is reached the Riksbank has bought Swedish government bonds since February 2015. To mitigate the effects of the corona pandemic on the Swedish economy the Riksbank has since March 2020 extended its framework for assets purchases to include covered bonds, municipal bonds as well as securities issued by non-financial companies in addition to the purchases of government bonds. To avoid the shortage of credit causing a prolonged recession, the Riksbank is since March 2020 offering the banks up to SEK 500 billion against collateral for onward lending to non-financial companies operating in Sweden (Funding for lending, FFL). At the same time the Riksbank introduced extraordinary weekly market operations with longer maturity to strengthen the banks' access to liquidity in Swedish krona. From 18 March 2020 monetary policy counterparties were offered once a week to borrow unlimited amounts (given adequate collateral) with a maturity of 3 months at an interest 0.2 percentage points above the Riksbank's repo rate. As of 6 July 2020, the Riksbank offers its monetary policy counterparties loans with a three-month or six-month maturity with full allotment, against adequate collateral, within the framework of weekly market operations against an interest rate corresponding to the applicable repo rate.
Institutional setup of monetary policy decisions and operations
Policy decision body, size and composition | Executive Board |
---|---|
Major mandates 1 | Maintain price stability |
Decision-making process | Decision by the Executive Board |
Frequency / length of meetings | Five scheduled monetary policy meetings per year |
Frequency of announcements | Same |
Main policy target | Repo rate |
Overview of key features
Key policy rate | Repo rate |
---|---|
maturity (days) | 7 |
Operating target | No formal target |
maturity (days) | |
Standing facilities | Lending, deposit |
Corridor width (bp) | 20 |
Reserve requirements | No |
maintenance period | N/A |
Main operation 2 | Issuance of Riksbank certificates |
functions | Liquidity withdrawal |
maturity (days) | Liquidity withdrawal |
regular interval | Liquidity withdrawal |
frequency | Liquidity withdrawal |
Overall frequency | Weekly |
Discretion left to operational desk | The amount offered to monetary policy counterparties in the weekly auctions of repos or Riksbank certifcates. |
Key policy signals via | |
announcement | √ |
keynote tender | √ |
standing facility | √ |
other | √ |
Monetary policy communication
Explicit use of forward guidance | Yes (repo rate path) |
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Timing / media of policy announcement | Five times a year, Monetary policy report and press release are published 9.30 the day after the monetary policy meeting |
Policy announcement and documents | Monetary policy report and press release |
Explaining policy decisions | Minutes from the monetary policy meeting (published 2 weeks after the monetary policy meeting) |
Dissemination of minutes (timing / media) | Minutes from the monetary policy meeting is published 2 weeks after the monetary policy meeting |
Content of minutes | Summary of Board members’ discussions during the monetary policy meeting |
Publication of forecasts 3 | Repo rate path and inflation |
Publication of projected path of policy rate 4 | Yes |
Reserve requirements: ratios and size
Main functions served | N/A |
---|---|
Domestic currency | |
Foreign currency | |
Average | |
Required reserves | 0% |
Required reserve as % of GDP | |
Actual reserves | |
Actual reserve as % of GDP |
Main features of reserve requirements
Averaging | N/A |
---|---|
Carry-over | N/A |
Type | N/A |
Maintenance period | N/A |
end (day) | N/A |
Calculation period | N/A |
end (day) | N/A |
Lag before maintenance | N/A |
Vault cash | N/A |
restrictions | N/A |
Remuneration | N/A |
average rate | N/A |
marginal rate | N/A |
Framework last changed | N/A |
Liquidity position and forecasting
Structural Position | Surplus |
---|---|
Most volatile factor(s) | Public demand for Notes and coins |
Most unpredictable factor(s) | |
Forecast horizon(s) | 1 week repo rate + 150bps |
Frequency | Weekly |
Frequency of revision | N/A |
Forecast published? | Yes |
Standing facilities: lending / market ceiling
Name | Standing facility |
---|---|
Form | Collateralised lending |
Pricing method | Repo rate plus 10 bp |
Maturity | O/N |
Access limited by/to | Monetary policy counterparties |
Function(s) | Provides liquidity insurance |
Standing facilities: deposit / market floor
Name | Standing facility |
---|---|
Form | Deposit |
Pricing method | Repo rate minus 10 bp |
Maturity | O/N |
Access limited by/to | Monetary policy counterparties |
Function(s) | Provides liquidity insurance |
Open market operations: repo or reverse repo
Name/Type 5 | N/A (See table 7b – liquidity surplus is drained by issuance of Riksbank certificates) |
---|---|
Maturity | |
Frequency | |
Pricing method | |
Access limited by/to | |
Function(s) |
Open market operations: central bank bills
Name | Riksbank certificates |
---|---|
Total issuance | An amount up to the banking systems net position towards the Riksbank is offered |
Maturity | 1 week |
Restrictions on possible maturities | No |
Pricing method | Fixed rate auction, pro rata allocation |
Access limited by/to | Monetary policy counterparties |
Discretion left to operational desk | Choice of amount offered |
Open market operations: FX swaps
Maturity | Adapted to the situation |
---|---|
Frequency | When needed |
Pricing method | Bilaterally |
Access limited by/to | Monetary policy counterparties |
Function(s) | Add or drain liquidity on the overnight loan market in SEK |
Other significant liquidity management means
Name/Type 6 | OT Purchase of Swedish government bonds, covered bonds, municipal bonds and corporate bonds. |
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Form | Reverse auctions on electronic trading platform, corporate bonds are purchased bilaterally |
Frequency | Weekly |
Maturity | May include all maturities |
Pricing Method | Multi price auction |
Access limited by/to | Monetary policy counterparties |
Function(s) | Monetary policy |
Settlement systems and intra-day liquidity facilities
Settlement system | RTGS, current platform launched 2009 |
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Intra-day liquidity facility | Intra-day collateralised loan |
Charge | Lending against collateral without interest rate |
Foreign currency settlement system | No |
CLS participation by banks | Yes |
Other settlement system(s) | Securities settlement system |
Collateral
Standing facilities: List of eligible collateral | Government bonds, Treasury bills, Municipal bonds, Supranational bonds, Covered bonds and Corporate bonds (minimum rating A-/A3). OwnNormally, qwn-name securitiescovered bonds as well as securitiescovered bonds issued by closely related entities are not accepted. However, this does not apply for covered bonds or bonds guaranteed by central government, but then the rating requirement is AA-/Aa3. These restrictions were temporarily lifted during the corona pandemic. Securities issued by credit institutions are only accepted if they are covered or guaranteed by central or local government. |
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Standing facilities: Discretion of central bank on collateral 7 | The Riksbank can decide on a security’s creditworthiness regardless of any external rating. The Riksbank can always change the rules on eligible collateral. This would normally require a consultation process with counterparties. |
Open market operations: List of eligible collateral | Same as for standing facilities. |
Open market operations: Discretion of central bank on collateral 8 | Same as for standing facilities. |
Dissemination of operational information: liquidity forecast
Forecast published? | Yes |
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Channel(s) | Reuters, Blomberg |
Timing | Weekly |
Remarks |
Dissemination of operational information: open market operations
Volume and price published? | Yes |
---|---|
Channel(s) | Reuters, Bloomberg |
Timing | Results of Riksbank certificates auctions are published on Tuesdays 15 minutes after closed auction |
Dissemination of operational information: standing facilities
Lending facility usage: Channel(s) | |
---|---|
Lending facility usage: Timing | |
Deposit facility usage: Channel(s) | |
Deposit facility usage: Timing |
Other information dissemination
Type | N/A |
---|---|
Channel(s) | N/A |
Timing | N/A |
1 Describe as well the legal status of the mandate and involvement of government
2 RP = reversed purchase (repo, inject liquidity), RS=RRP=reversed sale (reverse repo, absorb liquidity), RT=reversed transaction (repo or reverse repo).
3 For instance, economic and inflation forecasts related to policy decision.
4 If applicable, describe the publication of any fan-charts or uncertainty bands around the forecasts/projections.
5 RP=Reversed purchase (“repo”), RS=RRP=Reversed Sales (“reverse repo”), RT=Reversed transaction (RP or RRP).
6 OT = Outright Transaction, DB = Direct Borrowing, DL = Direct Lending.
7 Discretion of the central bank to expand collateral types, and list of additional collateral types that the central bank can take on a discretionary basis. Also, additional information such as delays required if discretionary collateral changes.
8 Discretion of the central bank to expand collateral types, and list of additional collateral types that the central bank can take on a discretionary basis. Also, additional information such as delays required if discretionary collateral changes.