US money-market fund assets reach an all-time high of $6.15 trillion

Investing.com - Assets of US money-market funds have reached a new peak, driven by expectations that short-term rates will remain high as Federal Reserve policymakers show no urgency to relax monetary policy.

During the abbreviated week leading up to July 2, US money-market funds experienced their largest influx in three months, with approximately $51.2 billion flowing in. According to data from the Investment Company Institute, total assets escalated to $6.15 trillion, up from $6.10 trillion in the previous week.

This rise sets a new record, surpassing the previous peak reached just three weeks earlier.

The continued flow of cash into money funds is anticipated as long as the Federal Reserve maintains its current rates. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell recently stated that recent economic data indicates that inflation is returning to a downward trend.

However, he emphasized that officials need more substantial evidence before deciding to lower interest rates. The benchmark rate has been maintained at a target range of 5.25% to 5.5% for seven consecutive meetings.

The minutes from the June meeting, released on Wednesday, revealed that officials do not anticipate the necessity to ease monetary policy until further information confirms that inflation is on course to reach a 2% target.

A detailed analysis of the period up to July 2 shows that government funds, which primarily invest in securities such as Treasury bills, repurchase agreements, and agency debt, saw their assets increase by $44.5 billion, reaching $4.97 trillion.

Prime funds, which generally invest in higher-risk assets like commercial paper, experienced a $4.5 billion increase, pushing their assets up to $1.05.