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US Federal Reserve keeps countercyclical capital buffer at zero

Federal Reserve Board voted to keep its countercyclical capital buffer at 0%, saying it would not order banks to hold additional capital to protect against losses in a future economic downturn

The Federal Reserve building in Washington DC. Photo: Reuters

The Federal Reserve building in Washington DC. Photo: Reuters

Reuters
(Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Reserve Board voted Friday to keep its countercyclical capital buffer at zero percent, saying it would not order banks to hold additional capital to protect against losses in a future economic downturn.
The Fed said it made the decision after consulting with other bank regulators.
The tool is intended to direct banks to build up capital during times when the economy is strong to bolster resilience in future recessions.
The Fed has however never triggered it, even at the tailend of the record-long expansion that ended in February with the coronvirus pandemic and the current recession.
 
Governor Lael Brainard, who had repeatedly advocated for raising the buffer before the current crisis, did not dissent on Friday's decision.
 
(Reporting by Ann Saphir and Dan Burns)

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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First Published: Dec 19 2020 | 8:34 AM IST

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