Business
CRR: CBN May Resort To Omo-Firm
A finance house,
Consolidated Discount Limited has said the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) might resort to Open Market Operation (OMO) to maintain the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR).
The company said in its weekly review of the fixed income market issued in Lagos recently that the development could be in the medium term.
Our correspondent reports that the CBN Governor, Malam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, had in July introduced a 50 per cent CRR on public sector deposits.
The CRR is aimed at reducing what Sanusi called “easy money’’which is always at the disposal of the Nigerian banks.
Our correspondent reports that the CRR is the minimum balance that the banks are expected to keep with the apex bank.
The review said:“In the medium term, expansionary spending by the government and the AMCON bonds maturing in December will mean that the CBN will have to resort to OMO if the apex bank abstains from increasing CRR,”
According to the report, in spite of the last OMO auction barely a month ago, trading activities in government securities is impressive.
It said what could make the CBN to consider OMO was government’s spending and the bonds of Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) which are due to mature in December.
“For now, we believe the institutional investors, especially pension funds administrators are ‘spoilt for choice’.
“The treasury bills now yield close to 14 per cent, while money market rates are at similar levels.
“But overall, we believe the buying interest in the market will lead to a compression of yields,” the review added.