Foreign Currency Swap Lines
Data File:
Date:
December 12, 2007
Policy Area:
Monetary Policy
Economic Target:
Financial Institutions
Action Type:
Currency Swap
Maximum Amount:
$286.00 billion
Amount Spent:
$26.66 billion Currency swaps between the Fed and other foreign central banks are intended to increase foreign currency liquidity and allow for the provision of U.S. dollar funding abroad.
Since December of 2007, the Fed has announced several new and expanded currency exchanges with numerous foreign central banks. The below currency swaps expired in February 2010. However, on May 9, 2010 the Fed reauthorized the use of foreign currency swap lines through January 2011 to help add liquidity to global markets following European debt fears.
| Announced Date | Expired Date | Participating Foreign Central Banks | Maximum Authorized Amount |
| 04/06/09 | 10/30/09 | Eurozone, Japan, England, Switzerland | $286 billion |
| 10/29/08 | 04/30/09 | Brazil, Mexico, Korea, Singapore | $120 billion |
| 10/28/08 | 04/30/09 | New Zealand | $15 billion |
| 09/29/08 | 04/30/09 | Canada, England, Eurozone, Japan, Switzerland, Australia, Sweden, Norway, Denmark | $620 billion |
| 09/26/08 | 09/29/2008* | Canada, England, Eurozone, Japan, Switzerland | $260 billion |
| 09/24/08 | 09/29/2009* | Australia, Sweden, Norway, Denmark | $30 billion |
| 09/18/08 | 09/26/2008* | Canada, England, Eurozone, Japan, Switzerland | $247 billion |
| 07/30/08 | 09/18/08* | Eurozone, Switzerland | $67 billion |
| 05/02/08 | 7/30/2008* | Eurozone, Switzerland | $62 billion |
| 03/11/08 | 05/02/2008* | Eurozone, Switzerland | $36 billion |
| 12/12/07 | 3/11/2008* | Eurozone, Switzerland | $24 billion |
* "Expired date" indicates date that existing currency swap was superseded by new arrangement
Source:
See links within table for individual Fed releases on each action.
Notes:
Maximum amount is total amount of all unexpired swap arrangements. Amount spent is reported from Fed's balance sheet and current as of 5/9/2012. Maximum swap amounts are listed in dollar exchange rates current at the time the action was announced. Activities of the Federal Reserve are not directly recorded in the federal budget. However, each year the Federal Reserve remits a portion of its earnings to the general treasury. This remittance is generally in the range of $20-$30 billion per year, but the CBO estimates that the Fed's earnings will be lower by approximately $90 billion over the next ten years.
