Overnight Indexed Swap Rates

ReserveOvernight Bank Indexed of SwapAustralia Rates Bulletin June 2002 Overnight Indexed Swap Rates Overnight indexed swaps are a form of overnight interest rate swaps market are banks, bilaterally traded, or over-the-counter (OTC), reflecting the relatively specialised nature of derivative in which one party agrees to pay the market. the other party a fixed interest rate in exchange The terms to maturity for overnight indexed for receiving the average cash rate recorded swaps typically are between one week to one over the term of the swap. In this respect, year, with the bulk of the trading concentrated overnight indexed swaps are similar to other in relatively short maturities. For example, forms of fixed-to-floating rate swaps. Their two 50 per cent of daily turnover is in maturities distinguishing features compared with other out to three months. such swaps are that they are for relatively short Overnight indexed swaps carry very little terms (generally only out to one year) and the credit risk as there is no exchange of principal. benchmark for the floating rate is the The only payment is that which takes place at overnight cash rate rather than the 90-day the maturity of the swap to reflect the net bank bill rate which is typically used in other interest obligation of one party to the other. fixed-to-floating swaps in Australia. In this respect, overnight interest rate swaps Financial institutions enter into overnight have advantages over bank bills in terms of indexed swaps to manage their exposures to managing exposure to changes in short-term movements in the cash rate. For example, a interest rates. A bank seeking to lock in the bank that had relatively strong expectations current interest rate for three months, for that the cash rate was going to rise would seek example, could either buy a 3-month bank bill to pay the fixed rate and receive the actual or enter into a 3-month overnight indexed cash rate over the period of the swap, while a swap in which it would receive the fixed rate. bank that had relatively little expectation of a If it did the former, it would take on a risk rise in the cash rate would seek to do the that the issuer of the bill will fail before the reverse. bill matures, in which case it could lose its The market for overnight indexed swaps has principal. If, on the other hand, it enters into grown rapidly in Australia since it began in an overnight indexed swap, its only exposure late 1999. Daily turnover was about $2 billion is the net payment that arises from any in 2000/01. This compares with turnover of difference between the fixed and floating sides about $34 billion a day in bank bill futures of the swap. Consistent with their low credit contracts and $6 billion a day in physical bank risk, the fixed interest rate on overnight bills, the other main ways in which institutions indexed swaps are systematically lower than can take views on movements in short-term bill yields of similar maturity (Graph 1). interest rates. The main participants in the 22 Reserve Bank of Australia Bulletin June 2002 Graph 1 Graph 2 Short-term Interest Rates Spread between 1-month Bank Bill and OIS Daily Daily %%Bps Bps 1-month bank bill 5.00 5.00 20 20 4.75 4.75 15 15 Cash rate 4.50 4.50 10 10 1-month OIS 4.25 4.25 5 5 4.00 llllllllll l 4.00 0 lllllllllll 0 JASOND JFMA MJ JASOND JFMA MJ 2001 2002 2001 2002 Sources: Prebon Yamane; RBA Sources: Prebon Yamane; RBA The difference in pricing that arises because the current cash rate, this would indicate that, of this difference in credit risk can be seen by on average, market participants are expecting comparing interest rates on the two a rise in the cash rate over the term of the instruments during periods when there are no swap. expectations of changes to the overnight cash Further, by comparing the fixed rates for rate. During 2000 and 2001, for example, swaps of different maturities, it is possible to there were nine periods when there were more assess not only the magnitude of the expected than 30 days between RBA Board meetings – change in the cash rate but also the timing of that is, 30-day periods in which it would have these changes. Assume, for example, that on been reasonably expected that there would be the day before a RBA Board meeting: no change in interest rates, given that • the current cash rate is 4.5 per cent; monetary policy is typically changed only at • the 30-day overnight indexed swap rate Board meetings. During these periods, yields (i.e., the fixed rate) is 4.75 per cent; and on 30-day overnight indexed swaps were generally in a 2–3 basis point range around • the 60-day overnight indexed swap rate is cash, with no evidence of any systematic bias. 4.875 per cent. Thirty-day bank bill yields, on the other hand, The 30-day swap rate of 4.75 per cent were between 5 to 15 basis points above the suggests that market participants are, on prevailing cash rate during these periods. This balance, expecting the overnight cash rate over is indicative of the relatively higher credit risk the next 30 days to average that rate. Since premium built into bill yields. This premium monetary policy is typically reviewed only at can vary substantially, depending on market Board meetings, we can deduce that markets conditions. For example, after the events in expect the Bank to raise the cash rate by September of last year, bill yields rose sharply 0.25 per cent at the next day’s Board meeting. relative to overnight indexed swap rates By comparing the 30-day and 60-day swap (Graph 2). rates, we can also deduce what markets are The key characteristics of overnight indexed expecting to happen to monetary policy at the swaps – short maturities and a lack of credit subsequent Board meeting. If the market is risk – make them particularly useful for expecting that the cash rate will average analysing market expectations about future 4.75 per cent for the next 30 days and movements in the cash rate. If, for example, 4.875 per cent for the next 60 days, then it the fixed rate in such swaps is trading above follows that the market must be expecting the 23 Overnight Indexed Swap Rates June 2002 cash rate during the second lot of 30 days to even though they are relatively small, do average 5.0 per cent (in simple terms, become larger as the term of an investment (4.75 + 5.00) ÷ 2=4.875). increases. As a result, the derived expectations Table 1 summarises outcomes for the cash of the cash rate beyond several months’ rate predicted by 1–6 month overnight horizon are biased upwards. indexed swap rates since January 2000. The Table 2 compares expectations of the cash means represent the average difference rate for the month ahead, as measured by between the expected cash rate, derived from overnight indexed swaps and the median the relevant overnight indexed swap rates, in response to Reuters’ regular survey of around the first, second, etc month ahead, and the 20 economists. Both measures are taken on actual cash rate in each of those future months. the Friday before each RBA Board meeting Readings greater than zero indicate that the (with the survey-based expectations for the overnight indexed swap rate ‘over predicted’ post-Board cash rate adjusted accordingly). where the actual cash rate would be in The table shows that neither measure clearly the future. predicts monetary policy more reliably than the other. For example, both perfectly predicted the February 2001 easing, though Ta ble 1: OIS Forecasting Errors largely missed the easing the following month. Basis points In most months, the expectations derived from both sources are very similar, Mean Standard although some significant differences arose deviation in September–October 2001. The early One month –1.3 6.6 September 2001 easing in response to a Two months –0.6 15.8 further weakening in the global outlook was Three months 1.1 21.7 better predicted by the overnight indexed Four months 4.0 29.0 swaps market whereas the October easing was Five months 13.1 38.1 over-predicted by the overnight indexed swaps Six months 23.4 44.9 market. On average over the whole period, the absolute forecast error for both is about Sources: RBA; Prebon Yamane 6 basis points. Overnight indexed swap rates are clearly not The standard deviations show that forecasts a perfect indicator of future movements in the become increasingly wide of the mark as the cash rate. But they seem to provide as good forecast horizon lengthens. At short horizons, an indicator as survey data – to be expected if there is a tendency for the errors – though market economists’ views are continually widening – to be offsetting, so that the mean sought and acted on by their employers – and error at three months’ horizon is really no are available in real time, unlike the survey greater than at one month’s horizon. Beyond data. that, however, there is a clear tendency for As from the June 2002 issue of the RBA errors associated with predicted outcomes to Bulletin, data on overnight indexed swap rates be positive. This can be attributed to the fact will be published in Table F.1.

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