Federal Reserve Governor Waller Supports Balance Sheet Reduction and Adjustment of Asset Composition

According to Jinse Finance, Federal Reserve Governor Waller stated that the balance sheet should continue to be reduced, including adjusting the asset structure to increase the proportion of short-term assets, but there may be no need for excessive cuts. "I believe it is very likely that we will continue, for some time, to allow securities that mature or are prepaid to naturally roll off the balance sheet, thereby reducing reserve balances," Waller said in a speech prepared for a Dallas Fed event on Thursday. In his speech, which focused on the balance sheet, Waller advocated for balance sheet reduction, but to a lesser extent than some Fed watchers and economists have suggested. He noted that current bank reserves remain "ample" (above the Fed's defined "sufficient" standard), and the ideal level should be maintained at around $2.7 trillion. Including the Fed's holdings of currency in circulation and the Treasury General Account balance, the total balance sheet would reach $5.8 trillion, compared to the current $6.7 trillion.