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IDAHO

ALASKA

WASHINGTON

T fo v sL M J b sA , 1 9 6 3

AAue
Waiting for #6 4 ........................................... page 157

UTAH

Smooth Adjustm ent.................................... page 161
Federal Agency Securities: The Demand. page 167
EGON


CALIFORNIA


ARIZONA

NEVADA




W aiting for 6 4
h e econom y entered the final q u arter of
1963 in fairly healthy shape, despite some
sluggishness in em ploym ent and industrial
p roduction, b u t the question now intriguing
m ost observers concerns the prospects for tax
cuts. G ross national p ro d u ct increased at a
respectable $9 billion annual rate in the JulySeptem ber q u arter; yet, according to T reas­
ury Secretary D illon’s recent testim ony before
the Senate F inance C om m ittee, the quarterly
gains in the first half of 1964 could be onethird greater if the tax bill is enacted— b u t
one-third less if the bill goes dow n to defeat.
O ne business publication contends th a t the
e c o n o m y e v e n n o w p o s se ss e s “ im m e n s e
strength,” because of the high spending levels
attained w ithout benefit of tax cuts. B ut the
counterargum ent can be m ade th a t recent fa ­
vorable indicators — for exam ple, th e strong
initial reception of th e ’64 auto m odels, o r the
substantial increase projected for business
plant-equipm ent spending this q u arter— sim ­
ply m ean th a t the spending plans o f consum ­
ers and businessm en are already being influ­
enced by the expectations of a favorable de­
cision. If this point of view is correct, the
stim ulus w ould be greater now — and less next
year— th an currently anticipated. B ut neither
hypothesis will receive a thorough testing for
some m onths to com e, th at is, until all sectors
of the econom y have had an o p p o rtunity to
adjust their spending plans to the final C on­
gressional decision.

T

Up and up, sluggishly
M eanw hile, a backw ard look reveals a
broad-scale advance in th ird -q u arter activity,
despite som e en d-of-q u arter sluggishness. T he
G N P increase, to a seasonally adjusted annual
rate of $588V i billion, occu rred in response
to increased spending by all m ajo r sectors—
$4 billion in consum ption spending, over $3
billion in private investm ent, and over $ 2 bil­
lion in governm ent spending.



T he increase in consum er spending, which
was g reater in the th ird q u arte r th an in the
preceding q u arter, developed in th e face of a
slow dow n in the rate of grow th of personal in­
com e. T he latter, in tu rn , reflected a slower
expansion in em ploym ent d uring the quarter,
particularly in relatively high paying industries
such as construction and m anufacturing.
Investm ent outlays increased at a slightly
faster rate in the th ird quarter, b u t the p attern
of investm ent expenditures shifted som ew hat.
O utlays for nonresidential construction and
for inventories, w hich h ad show n little if any
gain in the preceding q u arter, advanced at a
faster clip, w hereas housing and p ro d u cers’
equipm ent did n o t rise m uch above the record
levels achieved earlier. T he substantial gain in
governm ent outlays, m eanw hile, centered al­
m ost entirely in the state and local govern­
m ent sector.
B u t while the econom y was recording a
strong th ird -q u arter advance, activity in a
num ber of key lines was exhibiting som ew hat
less strength as the q u arte r ended. R etail sales,
fo r exam ple, reached a new peak during July
and then receded in bo th A ugust and Septem ­
ber, to the low est level since last N ovem ber.
H ow ever, w eekly d ata indicate th at sales re­
gained considerable m om entum during O cto­
ber, partly in response to th e initially favor­
able reception accorded ’64 m odel cars. This,
of course, is a significant facto r in assessing
the outlook for the m onths ahead.

Vigor regained?
Industrial p roduction, at 126 p ercen t of the
1957-1959 level, ended the q u arte r on a note
of less vigor, b u t it show ed signs of renew ed
expansion in O ctober. A fter a sustained rise of
over 4 index points during th e second q uarter,
o u tp u t peaked in July, receded in A ugust, and
ended the q u arte r at a level slightly below th a t
which obtained in Ju n e. To a large extent, this
decline was attributable to inventory cutbacks
by steel consum ers following the lab o r con-

157

F EDE RAL R E S E R V E B A N K OF S A N F R A N C I S C O

W id e sw in g s in steel, autos
underlie stable production
1 9 5 7 -5 9 = 1 0 0

160

I9 6 0

1961

1962

1963

Source: Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System,

158

tra c t settlem ent, and to an atten d an t red u c­
tion in iron and steel o u tp u t; from one q u arter
to the next, this am ounted to a 15 percent de­
cline. B u t the p ro d u ctio n index also d ropped
because of A u g u st’s reduction in autom obile
output, w hich occurred w hen virtually all auto
m akers closed dow n for m odel changeovers
at the sam e time.
In Septem ber and O ctober, pro d u ctio n of
autom obiles regained considerable m om en­
tum , b u t the rise in steel o u tp u t was som ew hat
less vigorous. H ow ever, prospects for fu rth er
gains brightened in S eptem ber with a rise in
factory orders to a record $36 billion (sea­
sonally ad ju ste d ). T he gain, w hich followed
a decline in A ugust, was accom panied by a
rise in the backlog of unfilled orders.
In the construction sector, continued buoy­
ancy seem s likely on the basis of S eptem ber’s
record level of housing starts, as well as a
th ird -q u arter do llar volum e of construction
aw ards th a t was 1 2 p ercen t above the yearago dollar volum e. In th e investm ent field,
continued gains in co rp o rate profits and de­
preciation allow ances im ply continued ability
to finance p lan t and equipm ent expenditures
in com ing m onths. T he inventory sector also
looks strong, am ong o th er reasons because




inventory-sales ratios fo r m an ufacturers and
retailers continue at low er levels th a n those
w hich prevailed d uring the co m parable p eri­
ods of previous p o stw ar cycles. (O n the o th er
hand, in m anufacturing, the ratios of unfilled
orders to bo th sales and inventories also are
relatively low .)
A n o th er factor deserving attention is the
environm ent of price stability supporting the
cu rren t expansion. Follow ing a m odest rise in
Ju n e and July, retail prices h eld steady through
Septem ber, at a level one p ercen t above a
year ago. N otw ithstanding selected increases
in the price of steel p roducts d uring S eptem ­
b er and early O ctober, as well as fu rth er gains
in the prices of various n o n ferrous m etals,
w holesale prices currently are low er th a n they
were in July, and are even low er th a n they
w ere five years ago. T h e relative stability in
prices thus reduces the likelihood th a t specu­
lative factors will influence th e spending and
investm ent decisions of consum ers and busi­
nesses.

Retail prices up, but stability
continues at wholesale level
1 9 5 7 -5 9 = 1 0 0

-WHOLES ALE I NDE X
(B Y S T A G E OF P R O C E S S I N G )

\

I

P ro d u c e r F in is h e d G ood s

.............. ............. ,,

I9 6 0

1961

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics.

1963

November 1963

MONTHLY REVIEW

Parallel developments
T w elfth D istrict econom ic activity gener­
ally paralleled national activity during the
third q u arter, surpassing it in som e sectors
and falling short in others. E m ploym ent rose
by som ew hat less in th e D istrict th an in the
nation, notw ithstanding an appreciable recov­
ery in m anufacturing w hich was related to
A ugust’s settlem ent of th e strike and lockout
affecting D istrict lum ber mills. E m ploym ent
in D istrict defense and space-related indus­
tries registered a fu rth er (alb eit slight) de­
crease during the th ird q u arter, despite the
rise in the dollar volum e of defense prim e
contract aw ards placed in the D istrict during
the preceding q u arter. (Incidentally, the frag ­
m entary d ata available earlier incorrectly in ­
dicated a decline, rath e r th a n a slight increase,
in second-quarter co n tract aw ard s.) A m ore
rapid rate of grow th in the D istrict labor force,
in conjunction with the less rapid rise in em ­
ploym ent, also co n trib u ted to a fu rth er in­
crease in D istrict unem ploym ent, in contrast
to a slight decline nationally.
O n the other hand, consum er spending ap ­
peared to exhibit ab o u t the sam e strength in
the D istrict as in the nation, while construc­
tion activity generally show ed m ore vigor here
than elsew here. D evelopm ents in the agricul­
tu ral sector revealed m ixed trends; D istrict
farm ers enjoyed a relatively sh arp gain in re­
ceipts from crop m arketings, b u t total ag ri­
cultural em ploym ent declined rath er sharply,
and, in fact, accounted for alm ost all of the
n atio n ’s th ird -q u arter dro p in farm em ploy­
m ent.
N ew c a r sales exhibited som ew hat m ore
th ird -q u arter strength in th e D istrict th an in
the nation, even though sales in bo th areas fell
below second-quarter levels. T h ro u g h A ugust,
new car registrations in the D istrict recorded
a cum ulative 8 percen t gain over the year-ago
figure— a slightly low er rate of increase than
in the nation as a w hole. M ost D istrict states
reported gains of 7 to 9 percent, although



Id ah o and O regon lagged behind the average
an d N evada reco rd ed a striking 15 percent
gain.

Industrial activity vigorous
C onstruction co n tract aw ards, although
low er in the th ird th a n in the preceding q u ar­
ter, were considerably higher th an a year ago.
(The gain was 19 percent, as com pared with
a national gain of 12 p e rc e n t.) A sharp rise in
aw ards for com m ercial and industrial estab ­
lishm ents, and especially a 39 percent cum u­
lative year-to-year increase in heavy engineer­
ing projects, indicates the continued strength
of fixed investm ent spending in the D istrict as
a whole. B ut the gain in to tal aw ards has been
som ew hat spotty. C alifornia and N evada, for
exam ple, have reco rd ed very large increases,
w hereas Id ah o and A rizona have suffered
year-to-year declines.
Steel p roduction, in th e D istrict as in the
nation, began to recover by the end of the
q u arter from the inventory liquidation which
followed on the heels of Ju n e ’s lab o r con tract
agreem ent. T he en d -o f-q u arter strengthening
of new orders boosted D istrict p ro d u ctio n in
O ctober to a level 6 p ercen t above the yearago figure, although below this Ju n e ’s level. In
this new atm osphere of rising dem and for
steel mill products, m ost m ajo r steel p ro d u c­
ers th roughout the n atio n announced m inor

159

F E D E RA L RE S E R V E B A N K OF S A N F R A N C I S C O

price increases on p ro d u cts accounting for
ab o u t 35 p ercen t of the steel m ark et; these
increases, along with those posted in A pril,
raised the average price about 2 p ercen t above
its year-ago level.
Settlem ent of the lum ber strike and lock­
o u t in m id-A ugust m eanw hile reversed the
price and p ro d u ctio n p attern s w hich had p re­
vailed in th a t industry earlier in the quarter.
M ill orders picked up from th eir strike-de­
pressed levels following the lab o r settlem ent,
as lum ber w holesalers and retailers responded
to a “ b risk ” level o f sales. B ut this resum ption
of p rodu ctio n to prestrike levels was accom ­
panied by a sh arp decline in lum ber prices,
to levels only slightly above those of a year
ago. This developm ent was accentuated by
the deep er p en etratio n of the A m erican m a r­
ket achieved by B ritish C olum bia mills as a
consequence of the w ork stoppage here.
D istrict petro leu m refining hum m ed along
at 85 percen t o f capacity d uring m ost of the
third q u arter, roughly the sam e as a y ear ago,
but dro p p ed to 81 p ercen t of capacity during
Septem ber. Stocks o f gasoline and residual oil
declined fro m th eir relatively high m idyear
levels to levels m ore in line w ith those which
prevailed in 1962. C rude prices rem ained u n ­
changed in this som ew hat stable situation,
w hereas elsew here in the nation p roduction
increased and crude prices declined.
D istrict farm ers posted a 10 percent gain
in cash receipts betw een July-A ugust 1962
and the co m p arab le period this year; n atio n ­
ally, the figure was unchanged. (T h e gain was
especially sizable fo r the w heat states of the
N o rth w est.) T he rise in receipts resulted p ri­
m arily from heavier m arketings, since prices
received by D istrict farm ers seem ed to have
averaged som ew hat less th a n during the com ­
p arable m onths of 1962. B ut despite the rise
in incom e, em ploym ent on D istrict farm s de­
clined during the th ird q u arte r to a level al­
m ost 5 percent (2 3 ,0 0 0 ) below a y ear ago;
160



the decline was accom panied by a fairly sharp
d ro p in the n u m b er o f foreign agricultural
w orkers in C alifornia, A rizona, and N evada.

But the jobless rolls increase
T he result of these p ro d u ctio n trends was a
th ird -q u arter rise in D istrict em ploym ent fig­
ures (A lask a and H aw aii d ata n o t available).
In non farm em ploym ent, the D istrict’s 1
p ercen t q u arte r-to -q u arte r gain outpaced the
natio n al increase; in to tal em ploym ent, the
reverse was tru e because o f the sharp drop in
D istrict farm payrolls. T h e key m anufacturing
sectors were lum ber and w ood pro ducts, w hich
show ed a sharp rise follow ing the A ugust
strike settlem ent, and defense-related indus­
tries, w hich reco rd ed an o th er m inor decline.
(A ircraft-ordnance-electrical eq uipm ent em ­
ploym ent now stands 4 p ercen t below the D e­
cem ber 1962 p eak .)
Since the labor force continued to rise m ore
rapidly in the D istrict th a n elsew here, u nem ­
ploym ent during th e q u a rte r rose 4 percent
here while declining nationally. L argely u n ­
d er the influence of developm ents in C alifor­
nia and W ashington, the D istrict unem ploy­
m ent rate rose from 5.8 p ercen t of the labor
force in Ju n e to 6.0 p ercen t in S eptem ber—in co n trast to a natio n al decline fro m 5.7 to
5.6 percent. C o m p ared w ith a y ear ago, the
n ational rate has rem ain ed unchanged but the
D istrict rate has m oved som ew hat above th a t
national average. T h e situ atio n can n o t be a t­
trib u ted to lagging em ploym ent, since the
n u m b er of jobs has increased m ore rapidly
here th an elsew here over th e p ast year, but
rath e r to an expanding la b o r force w hich has
increased at double th e natio n al rate. U nder
these circum stances, th erefo re, D istrict o b ­
servers are w aiting— p erh ap s even m ore im­
patiently th an th eir colleagues elsew here— to
m easure the im pact on business activity of
C ongress’ final tax -cu t decision.

MONTHLY REVIEW

November 1963

Smooth Adjustment
financial developm ents have re­
flected a generally sm ooth adjustm ent to
m id-July’s m onetary policy m easures, includ­
ing the increase from 3 to 3 Vi p ercen t in the
discount rate-— the rate m em ber banks m ust
pay w hen borrow ing from the F ed eral R eserve
B anks. A s in the first half of the year, m one­
tary policy has been influenced by th e neces­
sity to keep short-term interest rates in rea­
sonable alignm ent w ith rates obtainable
abroad, so as to contribute to an im provem ent
in the capital accounts of the natio n ’s balance
of paym ents. T he financial secto r’s recent p er­
form ance also has reflected th e im pact of the
continuing econom ic expansion on b an k loan
dem and.
T he th ird -q u arter m onetary situation con­
tinued to reflect the m idyear policy shift of
“ som ew hat less ease.” C onsequently, m em ber
b anks’ net free reserves (excess reserves less
borrow ing from the F ed eral R eserve B anks)
declined during the th ird q u arte r to a daily
average level of $128 million — m ore th an
$ 1 0 0 m illion un d er the preceding q u a rte r’s
level. M oreover, average free reserves then
fell som ew hat fu rth er in th e follow ing fourw eek period. T h e decline in reserve balances
was concentrated in reserve city banks, which
have had net borrow ed reserves fo r over a
year.
e c e n t

R

More costly borrowing
M em ber b an k borrow ings from the F ederal
R eserve B anks rose substantially d u rin g the
third quarter, and b a n k s’ alternate source of
borrow ed funds, F ed eral funds, also becam e
m ore costly. (F ed eral funds are reserves on
deposit with a F ederal R eserve B ank which a
m em ber bank m ay lend to oth er banks th at
need funds to m eet their required reserves.)
T he F ederal funds rate th ro u g h o u t m ost of
the q u arte r rem ained consistently at the effec­
tive ceiling set by the 3 Vi p ercen t discount



S p r e a d m o rro w s as short-term
interest rates rise
Percent Per A nnum

5.0
C o rp o rate A a a B o n d s

. J 'l J

'

I

1

ent Bonds
y , L o ng Term G overnmzsr
,
\ v % /

iV V .

D IS C O U N T R A T E

(N E W Y O R K )

'l

I

3.0 -

T re a su ry B id s

2 0 I n u u m i t l n m i i i i i i U i n 1 1 1 11 t i.L i n i,u.i i i .t l.u i i- u n i i i I
1959

I9 6 0

1961

1962

1963

Source: Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.

rate. In addition, F ed eral funds becam e quite
scarce on several occasions during this period
because of the generally low er level of excess
reserves and the b an k s’ increased borrow ing
needs.
A s the th ird q u arte r progressed, short-term
interest rates tended to rise above the levels
established at the tim e of the discount rate
increase. T he rate on 9 1 -day T reasury bills,
which had averaged slightly less th an 3.00
percent in June, rose to 3.38 percent in Sep­
tem ber, and then increased fu rth er to 3.47
percent by m id-O ctober. T he yields on bills
of longer m aturities m oved up m ore or less in
unison w ith those fo r 9 1 -day bills, and yields
on oth er m oney m ark et instrum ents increased
in a sim ilar fashion.
Follow ing Ju ly ’s revision of R egulation Q,
w hich p erm itted banks to pay up to 4 percent
on tim e deposits and certificates with m atu ri­
ties of 90 days and over, the average rate on
6-9 m onth negotiable tim e certificates issued
by N ew Y ork City banks rose in several steps,
from 3 Vs percent in July to 33A percent in
early O ctober. A djustm ents w ere also m ade
on rates p aid on tim e certificates of longer

FEDERAL RE S E RVE B A N K OF S A N F R A N C I S C O

Stock prices rise, contrary
to usual cyclical pattern
1 94 1 -4 5 = 10

Source: Standard and Poor’s. Business cycle troughs dated August
1954, April 1958, and February 1961.

m aturities. As a result, negotiable tim e
certificates o f deposit rem ained com petitive
m oney m ark et instrum ents, and banks expe­
rienced no ab ru p t decline in the outstanding
volum e of this type of tim e deposit.
Interm ed iate- and long-term U nited States
G overnm ent b o n d yields m oved slightly higher
in July, leveled off in A ugust, and then rose
again in S eptem ber and O ctober. T he rate on
long-term issues reached 4.05 percen t at the
tim e of the T reasu ry ’s pre-refunding and
ju n io r advance refunding operations in m idSeptem ber. T he T reasury offering was highly
successful; ab o u t 28 p ercen t of the eligible
securities held by the public w ere exchanged
for one o f the three new issues offered, and
the average m atu rity of the m ark etab le debt
consequently lengthened by over four m onths.

Bulls on the bourse

162

T h e bull m a rk e t in stocks, w hich dates
from last fall’s C u b an crisis, continued rising
into the fo u rth q u arter, albeit with brief in ­
tervals of cau tio n and profit-taking. B oth
m ajor stock indexes, S tan d ard and P o o r’s
and the D ow Jones industrial average, set new
historic highs in late Septem ber, and then




b ro k e those records w ith new highs in late
O ctober. T rading volum e rose sharply in Sep­
tem ber, averaging 5.5 m illion shares, b u t b u y ­
ing ap p eared to be selective. M ark et optim ism
was ascribed to investor confidence in the gen­
eral state o f the econom y, particularly as
reflected in rising earnings and dividends.
T he m a rk e t’s behavior in the p resent b u si­
ness cycle provides an intriguing co n trast to
its b ehavior in earlier postw ar cycles. In each
of the three preceding cycles, stock indexes
rose sharply during th e first 18 m onths o r so
of the cyclical expansion, and th e n leveled off
fo r a prolonged perio d of tim e; in this cycle,
the indexes follow ed th eir initial sp u rt w ith
the m id -1962 slum p, and follow ed th a t in tu rn
w ith a second year-long expansion. M ark et
observers thus are faced w ith the question
w hether th e indexes are only m aking u p for
lost tim e, o r w hether the econom y is w itness­
ing— fo r th e first tim e in the p o stw ar period—
a strong m ark et expansion occurring in the
m ature p hase o f a business cycle expansion.
To ensure th a t speculative excesses do not
develop during this new bull m arket, the F e d ­
eral R eserve B o ard in early N ovem ber raised
m argin requirem ents fo r credit purchases from
50 to 70 percent, th a t is, to th e level th a t h ad
prevailed betw een m id -1 9 6 0 and m id-1962.
T h e B o ard ’s action to o k cognizance of the
fact th a t the 5 0 -percent-m argin period expe­
rienced not only a 30 p ercen t rise in stock
prices b u t also a 43 p ercen t rise in stock m a r­
ket credit. M ost o f this cred it increase, in fact,
occurred just in th e p ast half-year.

September’s solid strength
T he banks, like the bourse, have shown
recent strength. C om m ercial b a n k cred it (sea­
sonally ad ju sted ) increased substantially in
S eptem ber follow ing a sm all decline in July
and a m oderate expansion in A ugust. T h e an ­
nual rate of grow th fo r 1963 to date thus
am ounts to a solid 7.4 p ercen t, although it
falls below last y ear’s 8 p erce n t rate.

November 1963

MONTHLY REVIEW

The quarterly loan expansion of $3.2 b il­
lion (seasonally ad ju sted ) was concentrated
in Septem ber, w hen no rm al tax-related b o r­
row ing by business firms and by n o n bank
financial institutions was augm ented by credit
extended to brokers and dealers at the time of
the T reasury pre-refunding operations. B usi­
ness borrow ing in Septem ber increased m ore
than seasonally, but less th a n it did in the co r­
responding period last year. H eavy m ortgage
activity, how ever, bro u g h t the 9-m onth an­
nual rate of grow th in this category to 15.6
percent, com pared w ith 12.3 p ercen t fo r 1962
as a w hole. T he qu arterly expansion in co n ­
sum er loans was at ab o u t the sam e pace as a
year ago.
B ank holdings of U nited States G ov ern ­
m ent securities declined $4.3 billion in the
third q u arter, but this reduction was partially
offset by increases of $1.5 billion in o th er
securities (b o th figures seasonally adjusted).
Shifts in bank portfolios of T reasury issues
reflected the exchange of $3.4 billion of se­
curities m aturing w ithin 5 years fo r longer
term issues offered in the S eptem ber p re­
refunding. B anks also m ade n et additions to
their bill holdings in Septem ber, including an
allotm ent of $365 m illion o f one-year bills.

Action at discount w indow
Tw elfth D istrict ban k s adjusted relatively
sm oothly to the new environm ent of the 3 Vi
percent discount rate. A s in the rest of the
nation, how ever, m em ber banks o p erated u n ­
d er som ew hat m ore reserve p ressure th an in
the first half of the year. R eserve city banks in
the D istrict fairly consistently recorded net
borrow ed reserves during the third quarter;
th a t is, their borrow ings fro m the San F ra n ­
cisco R eserve B ank exceeded their excess
reserves th roughout m ost of the period. In
July, a relatively large n u m b er of banks used
the discount w indow of the San F rancisco
Reserve B ank, and daily borrow ings averaged
over $20 m illion. In A ugust, b an k recourse to
discounting slackened, b u t in late Septem ber



— as b an k reserves cam e u nder increased
pressure— borrow ings again rose sharply. To
cover unusually large reserve deficiencies in
the Septem ber 25 statem ent w eek, D istrict
banks also m ade net purchases of F ed eral
funds to supplem ent their R eserve B ank b o r­
rowings. (T h ro u g h o u t the rest of the qu arter,
how ever, D istrict banks as a group rem ained
net sellers of F ed eral funds.) In early O ctober,
banks continued to reso rt to the discount win­
dow but were net sellers o f F ed eral funds on
a reduced volum e of transactions.
W eekly rep o rtin g m em ber b an k s 1 in the
D istrict ended th e third q u arte r with a net
gain of $307 m illion in loan and investm ent
portfolios. W hile this increase in total bank
credit was less than half th a t registered in the
preceding qu arter, it was slightly g reater than
1962’s th ird -q u arter gain. T he loan ex p an ­
sion of $451 m illion, how ever, was well below
the $609 m illion increase of th ird -q u arter
1962.

Slow growth in business loans
B usiness firms in the D istrict increased
their borrow ings only one th ird as rapidly as
they did in the com parable 1962 quarter. In
1This discussion is based on data for weekly reporting member
banks, since more detailed information is available on a current
basis for these banks than for all member banks. Weekly report­
ing banks hold about 90 percent of the total assets of all District
member banks. The D istrict vs, U. S. comparisons are also based
on data for weekly reporting member banks.

163

F EDERAL RE S E RVE B A N K OF S A N F R A N C I S C O

S E LE C TE D BALANCE S H E E T ITE M S OF
W E E K LY R EPO R TIN G M EM BER BANKS IN LEAD IN G C IT IE S
(dollar amounts in millions)
Twelfth District
Outstanding
Sept. 25,
1963
ASSETS:
Loans adjusted and investments1
Loans adjusted'
Commercial and industrial loans
Real estate loans
Agricultural loans
Loans to nonbank financial
institutions
Loans for purchasing and
carrying securities
Loans to foreign banks
Other (m ainly consumer)
U. S. Government securities
Other securities
LIABILITIES:
Demand deposits adjusted
Time deposits
Savings accounts

2 9 ,0 8 7
19,854
6 ,3 8 7
6 ,9 0 4
924

United States

Net change froni
2nd Quarter 1963
3rd Qtr.
1962
Dollars
Percent
Percent

Outstanding
Sept. 25,
1963

Net change from
2nd Qtr.
3rd Qtr.
1963
1962
Percent
Percent

+ 3 07
+ 451
+ 66
+ 2 17
— 53

+
+
+
+
—

1-1
2.3
1.0
3.2
5.4

+
+
+
+
—

1.1
3.6
3.3
4.3
2.9

13 4 ,2 6 4
8 7,063
3 5 ,9 4 4
17,409
1,465

+
+

0.9
2.8

+
+
—

1,313

+

89

+

7.3

+

9.5

7,691

+

399
219
4 ,0 5 9

+
+
+

51
2
91

+ 14.7
+ 0.9
+ 2.3

+ 30.2
+ 3.2
+ 1.1

6,271
801
19,443

+ 10.1
+ 10.0
+ 2.0

+ 19.2
— 13.2
+ 0.9

5,8 5 0
3,383

— 2 17
+ 73

—
+

3.6
2.2

—
—

4.2
1.0

2 8 ,0 6 6
19,135

—
+

7.6
6.0

—
+

4.9
4.5

12,016
16,269
12,827

+ 261
+ 111
+ 286

+
+
+

2.2
0 .7
2.3

+
+
+

2.3
1.2
3.7

6 1 ,6 0 9
56,466
3 7 ,1 4 7

—
+
+

0.7
2.9
2.2

—
+
+

0.7
2.2
3.7

1.1
3.8
4.4

+
+
+
+
—

1.1
3.0
2.1
4.6
6.3

5.5

+

3.1

“Exclusive of loans to domestic commercial banks and after deductions of valuation reserves; individual loan items are shown gross.
Source: Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco.

164

fact, the entire $ 6 6 m illion increase in busi­
ness borrow ing o ccu rred in Septem ber, when
business firms h ad to m eet q u arterly corpo­
rate tax paym ents and w hen food, liquor, and
to b a c c o p r o c e s s o r s fa c e d s e a s o n a l c r e d it
needs. A decline in the average interest rate
on short-term business loans was fu rth er evi­
dence of som e slackness in credit dem and
from the business sector; the rate was 5.24
percent in S eptem ber 1963, as com pared with
5.37 percen t in both Ju n e 1963 and Septem ­
ber 1962. T he p ro p o rtio n of th e do llar vol­
um e of loans m ade at the prim e rate, which
has rem ained at 4 .5 0 p ercen t since A ugust
1960, rose from 27 p ercen t in June to 37
percent in S eptem ber because of the increas­
ing percentage of large loans ($ 2 0 0 , 0 0 0 and
o v er) m ade at this favorable rate.
R eal estate loans continued to expand m ore
rapidly th an o th er categories, as D istrict banks
consistently added to th eir m ortgage portfolios
despite intense com petition in the m ortgage
m arket from o th er types of lenders. T he $217
m illion gain fo r the q u arte r b ro u g h t the net




increase in real estate loans fo r the Jan u ary S eptem ber period to $598 m illion— alm ost
one th ird of the to tal natio n al increase fo r the
sam e period. M eanw hile, consum er loans in­
creased twice as fast as they did in the co rre­
sponding period last year. C onsum er financing
by D istrict ban k s continued to be dom inated
by th e auto m ark et; new extensions of credit
fo r c a r financing w ere m aintained at the high
seco n d -q u arter rate in bo th July and A ugust.
Security financing also co n tributed to the
th ird -q u arter gain in D istrict b an k loan p o rt­
folios; substantial am ounts of credit w ere ex­
ten d ed to bro k ers and dealers in S eptem ber
for financing and carrying U nited States G ov­
ernm ent securities at the tim e of the T reasury
pre-refunding operations, and m ost of these
loans were n o t repaid until the first p a rt of
O ctober. In addition, som e n o n -b ank financial
institutions continued to exhibit a strong d e­
m and for bank credit, since they accounted
fo r ab o u t $ 1 0 0 m illion of the th ird -q u arter
loan expansion.

November 1963

MONTHLY REVIEW

A s loan portfolios expanded, D istrict banks
reduced their security holdings by $144 mil­
lion. T he reduction, how ever, centered in in­
term ediate-term T reasury issues. A t the sam e
tim e, banks continued to add oth er securities
to their investm ent portfolios, although in
som ew hat sm aller volum e th a n in the second
quarter. In A ugust, D istrict ban k s m ade sub­
stantial shifts out of long-term U nited States
bonds into securities w ith sh o rter m aturities,
but the T reasury’s pre-refunding and junior
advance refunding operations in Septem ber
counteracted this m ovem ent. A s a result of
exchanges m ade in th a t offering, D istrict
b an k holdings of lo n g -te rm G overnm ent
bonds increased $69 m illion (n e t) fo r the
q u arte r as a w hole. H ow ever, short-term
T reasury notes and bonds recorded an even
larger quarterly gain ($ 1 5 7 m illion).

Mixed performance in deposits
In the deposit categories, D istrict banks
in the th ird q u arte r show ed a som ew hat
m ix e d p e r f o r m a n c e in r e l a t i o n to b a n k s
elsew here. D em and deposits adjusted — de­
fined as total deposits less deposits of the
U nited States G overnm ent and dom estic com ­
m ercial banks, and less cash item s in the pro c­
ess of collection— increased by 2 , 2 p ercen t in
the D istrict b u t decreased by 0.7 percent in
the nation as a w hole. Savings accounts in­
creased 2.3 percent during the q u arter at D is­
trict banks; this perform ance was slightly b et­
ter th an the th ird -q u arter perform ance of
banks nationally, in m ark ed co n trast to th eir
relative situation in the first half of the year.
B ut the story was different w ith oth er tim e de­
posit categories. T he natio n al to tal increased
substantially during the th ird quarter, b u t the
D istrict total drop p ed by $175 m illion, p ri­
m arily because of seasonal reductions in time
deposits of states and political subdivisions.
In the D istrict, tim e deposits of individuals,
partnerships, and co rp o ratio n s rem ained rela­
tively stable in the th ird q u arte r after rising
$450 m illion in the first half of the year. This



M illio n s of D o lla r !

trict d a ta ).

stability som ew hat m asked a seasonal shift in
holdings of negotiable tim e certificates of de­
posit; over $ 1 0 0 m illion in certificates issued
by D istrict ban k s m atu red in the first half of
Septem ber, w hich suggests th a t corporations
are using this m oney m arket instrum ent ex­
tensively to m eet quarterly tax paym ents.
As a consequence of these generally fa ­
vorable th ird -q u arter developm ents, D istrict
banks ap p ear to be farin g well on the profit
side. M ost of the b anks th a t publish thirdq u arte r d ata show increases in net earnings
above the corresponding figures fo r 1962—
substantial increases in the case of ninem onths data.

Savings high, mortgages higher
Savings grow th continued strong at savings
and loan associations as well as at com m ercial
banks during the th ird quarter. W ith a gain of
alm ost $1 billion, insured savings and loan
associations in Tw elfth D istrict states co n tin­
ued to outpace associations elsew here in a t­
tracting savings; this 4.9 p ercen t th ird -q u arter
D istrict increase co n trasted to a 1.8 percent
gain nationally. M oreover, with a net increase
of over $ 1 .0 billion in m ortgage holdings d u r­
ing the q u arter, the m ortgage portfolio of

i ^5

FEDERAL RESERVE B A N K OF S A N F R A N C I S C O

these associations at th e end of Septem ber ex­
ceeded total ou tstan d in g loans of all T w elfth
D istrict w eekly reporting m em ber banks. F o l­
lowing the p attern of th e first h alf of 1963,
extensions of m ortgage funds by D istrict asso­
ciations exceeded th eir net inflow of savings.
B orrow ings (including advances from the
H om e L o an B an k ) consequently rose 10 p er­
cent during th e quarter.
T he natio n al spotlight was again directed
to C alifornia savings and loan associations in
S eptem ber w hen it ap p eared th at there m ight
be a general m ove to w ard a 5 percent divi­
dend rate o n savings. A few of the sm aller
associations increased rates to 4.9 and 5.0
percent, b u t th ere was no general increase to
these levels. H ow ever, m ost of the B ay A rea
and San D iego associations th a t had low ered

166



their dividend rates to 4.5 p ercent in Ju n e
m ade upw ard adjustm ents to 4 .8 0 o r 4.85
p ercen t for the fo u rth q u arte r in o rd er to m eet
the intense com petition fo r savings funds.
T he over-all financial situation as the year
drew to a close reflected the strengths and
w eaknesses— m ostly strengths— of the gen­
eral business situation. W ith the January-S eptem b er p erio d showing a 2.7 p ercen t annual
rate of gain in currency and dem and deposits
(an d a 13.7 p ercen t gain in tim e d e p o sits), the
n atio n ’s m oney supply seem ed am ple to
finance a continuing expansion into 1964.
T he expansion adm ittedly was being financed
at a higher level of interest rates in som e— but
n o t all— sectors, yet the general atm osphere
reflected a sm ooth ad ju stm en t to the m id-year
policy changes.

November 1963

MONTHLY REVIEW

Federal Agency Securities:
The Demand
increased supply of A gency securities
—securities issued by five F ed eral agencies
which are involved in housing and agricul­
tu ral credit program s— has been a key factor
in im proving the m arketability and liquidity
of these instrum ents. Supply, how ever, is not
the only reason fo r th e expansion of the
Agency m arket. R ising dem and on the p art
of com m ercial banks, co rp o ratio n s, non-bank
financial institutions, state and local govern­
m ents, and individuals has helped to broaden
this as well as o th er financial m arkets in re­
cent years. T he present article exam ines this
rising dem and, an d thus com plem ents an
earlier article w hich considered th e factors
determ ining the increased supply of such se­
curities.
T he grow th and bro ad en in g of the m arket
for A gency securities can be dated from 1955.
By the end o f 1962, every m ajo r investor
group held m ore th an a nom inal share of the
supply of these investm ents. H ow ever, the
m arket is dom inated by the consum er sector

T

he




(largely individuals) and by com m ercial banks
and nonfinancial corporations. H oldings of all
three of these groups tend to fluctuate from
year to year, reflecting changes in supply to
som e extent, b u t reflecting m ark et conditions
and interest rate differentials also. O th er types
of investors have increased their sm all h o ld ­
ings gradually d u rin g recent years.

Banks dominate the market
In the first p o stw ar decade, com m ercial
banks w ere the only im p o rtan t investm ent
outlet for A gency securities. A lthough banks
have continued to play an im p o rtan t role,
th eir holdings nonetheless have not grown
with the supply of A gency securities over the
postw ar period as a w hole. T he b an k share of
the gradually rising supply declined during
the 1945-55 period, fro m ab o u t th ree-q u arters
to one-half of the total. T h en , after the m ore
rapid expansion of A gency securities got un­
d er way in 1955, the share held by com m er­
cial banks declined fu rth er— to as low as 15

167

F E D E R A L R E S E R V E B A N K OF S A N F R A N C I S C O

percent in m id -1 9 6 0 — before recovering to
about o n e-fo u rth of th e to tal at the end of
1962. F lu ctu atio n s in holdings generally have
reflected cyclical influences and changes in
supply, particu larly o f F an n ie M ae and F e d ­
eral H om e L o an B ank obligations.
C om m ercial banks norm ally tend to sell off
T reasury securities to m ak e loans in periods
of business expansion and to increase such
investm ents during recessions as loans p ro ­
vide a declining source of earning assets. In
the 1955-62 period, the b anks generally fol­
low ed the sam e p attern in handling their p o rt­
folios o f A gency securities.
O ne exception occurred in 1955, when
holdings of A gency issues increased by about
$500 m illion, even though banks w ere then
m aking large reductions in th eir G overnm ent
securities portfolios to finance a sharp ex p an ­
sion in loan dem and. In Jan u ary , b anks p u r­
chased tw o-thirds of the first F an n ie M ae
issue, a $ 5 7 0 m illion 3-year note, w hich was
the largest A gency issue sold up to th a t tim e.
L ater in the year, b anks also absorbed p a rt of
the increase in F ed eral H om e L o an B ank b o r­
rowings.
B ank holdings of bo th T reasury and Agency
securities declined during 1956 and then re ­
m ained stable until late 1957, at w hich time
the recession brought easier m ark et co n d i­
tions and a resum ption of security purchases.
In O cto b er 1957, ban k s acquired half of an
$800 m illion F an n ie M ae issue, and they also
to o k h alf of a sim ilar issue in Jan u ary 1958.
In the la tter p a rt of 1959, A gency holdings
declined while portfolios of T reasury securi­
ties continued to increase; how ever, bo th su b ­
sequently declined until the onset of the 196061 recession.

Banks and the differential

1 68

T he record up to 1961 suggests th a t the
higher yield on A gency securities was n o t suf­
ficient to induce substantial portfolio shifts
during easy m oney periods. O n the oth er
hand, ban k s did m ake sizable investm ents in




B a n k s increase A g e n c y security
holdings, but total rises faster
B illio n s of D o lla rs
0
2
1

■

I

4
»

---- ' I ' '

6
I "*■"

I

a
1

!

1

I

10
|

|

Source: D epartm ent of the Treasury.

each of the three relatively large F an n ie M ae
sales m entioned above. T hus, the sm all size
of m ost A gency issues evidently offset the a t­
tractions o f g reater yield and lim ited com m er­
cial b an k particip atio n in th e A gency m arket
during these periods.
In 1962, yield differentials assum ed m ore
im portance in com m ercial b an k investm ent
policy, and banks m ade larg er acquisitions of
A gency securities th a n in any previous year.
This intensified interest in A gency obligations
was a b y -product of prevailing m ark et condi­
tions. B ank loan d em an d was relatively m od­
erate in the business expansion th a t began
early in 1961; th e recovery itself was not of
boom dim ensions, and, fu rth erm ore, m any
trad itio n al b an k borrow ers tu rn ed tow ards
o th er sources of financing, such as the com ­
m ercial p ap er m ark et o r internally generated
cash flows. In addition, since loan dem and
was less strong, d em an d deposits also ex p an d ­
ed less rapidly th a n in earlier cyclical periods.
Tim e deposits, how ever, on w hich banks pay
interest, increased substantially at com m er­
cial banks, partly because th e F ed eral R eserve
B oard at the beginning o f 1962 raised the p e r­
missible ceilings on tim e d ep o sit interest rates
to 3 V i and 4 p ercen t fro m the previous 3
percen t m axim um .

November 1963

MONT HLY REVIEW

B illio n s of D o lla r s

porations have becom e increasingly active in
the m ark et fo r sh o rt-term G overnm ent securi­
ties. They also constitute a sizable share of the
m ark et fo r sh o rt-term A gency issues.

W hat to do with cash flow

This change in R eg u latio n Q h ad a strong
im pact on com m ercial b an k investm ent p oli­
cies in 1962. W ith the inflow of tim e deposits
increasing sharply, b anks fou n d it necessary
to cover higher interest paym ents by finding
investm ents th a t w ould retu rn higher yields
th an those available on m ost T reasury securi­
ties. They stepped up purchases of state and
local governm ent bonds as well as longer term
T reasury issues and began to com pete m ore
aggressively fo r m ortgage loans. T hey also
increased th eir purchases o f A gency securi­
ties, particularly in the sh o rt-term area. B e­
tw een D ecem ber 1961 and D ecem ber 1962,
com m ercial banks red u ced their portfolios of
short-term G overnm ents by $1.3 billion and
increased th eir holdings of short-term A gency
securities by nearly $700 million. Supply con­
ditions helped account fo r the concentration
of purchases in sh o rt-term A gency issues,
since the F ed eral H om e L o an B a n k ’s sh o rt­
term borrow ings accounted fo r m ost of the
$1.5 billion increase in outstanding Agency
obligations during 1962.
In recent years, corporations have com e to
play a prom inen t role in the m oney m arkets,
both as borrow ers and lenders of funds. Since
they have large cash flows w hich their m a n ­
agers seek to em ploy as fully as possible, co r­



C orporations ab so rb ed ab o u t one-fifth of
the increase in outstanding A gency issues b e­
tw een the end of 1954 an d the end of 1962,
about th e sam e p ro p o rtio n as th a t tak en by
com m ercial banks in this period. They were
particu larly active buyers of A gency securi­
ties in 1957 and 1959, b u t absorbed alm ost
none of the $ 2 billion increase in the supply
of A gency issues in 1961 and 1962.
C o rp o rate holdings of A gency securities
generally m ove in th e sam e direction as their
holdings of sh o rt-term T reasury investm ents.
In the 1960-62 period, corporations failed to
increase th eir holdings of such securities but
instead ex p an d ed th eir p articipation in the
m arkets fo r com m ercial p a p e r and other
higher yielding sh o rt-term investm ents. D u r­
ing the la tter p a rt of this period, negotiable
certificates of deposit becam e a p o p u lar choice
for sh ort-term investm ent. C o rp o rate holdings
of short-term T reasury securities ranged b e­
tw een $8-9 billion during this period, except
around quarterly tax dates, w hen they dropped
to aro u n d $7.5 billion. H oldings of Agency
issues, m ostly sh o rt-term issues, w ere gener­
ally ab o u t o n e-ten th as great as th eir hold­
ings of G overnm ents.
Since th e in troduction of F annie M ae’s dis­
co u n t notes in early 1960, corporations have
been the largest single investor group in this
category, usually holding about on e-th ird of
the total. H oldings have varied m ostly with
changes in supply, w hich declined in 1962 as
F an n ie M ae’s financing requirem ents declined.

Institutions hold one-fifth
T h e investm ent policies of m utual savings
banks, life insurance com panies, fire-casualtym arine insurance com panies, and savings and
loan associations have been m ark ed by a tend-

] 59

FEDERAL RES ERVE B A N K OF S A N F R A N C I S C O

O W N ER SH IP OF FED ER A L AG EN CY O B LIG A TIO N S , 1945-62
(billions of dollars)

Commercial
Banks

Corporate
Business

Consumer
Sector

StateLocal
Govts.

End of
year:

Total

1945
1946
1947
1948
1 94 9

1.1
1.3
1.4
1.6
1.5

.8
1.1
1.2
1.3
1 .3

1950
1951
1 952
1953
1954

1 .9
2.2
2.1
2.1
2.1

1.7
1.6
1.5
1.3
1.4

.1
.1
.1
.1

.2
.3
.3
.3
.3

1955
1 956
1957
1958
195 9
1960

3 .6
4 .2
6 .3
5 .8
8 .0
7 .9

1.8
1 .6
2.1
2 .2
1.7
1 .6

.3
.4
.8
,6
1.2
1.1

.9
1.2
1 .9
1 .6
3.1
3.1

.2
.3

1961
1962

8 .5
1 0 .0

1.7
2 .3

1 .3
1.2

4 .0
4 .8

.4

___

—
—

—
___

.3
.1
.1
.2
.2

—

—
-

.1
.1
.1

•4
.3
.4
.4

•5

Mutual
Savings
Banks

SavingsLoan
Assns.

___

___

--

—

-----

—

.1
*

—

*
*
*

___

Insurance
Companies

.

__

*
*
*
*
*
*

.1
.1

—
.1
.1
.1

.1
.1
.1

.1
•2
■3
.3
.4
.5

.1
.3
.5
.5
.6
.7

.1
.2
•3
.3
.4
.5

.5
.6

.3
.3

.3
.3

*Less than $50 million.
Source: 1945-60— Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System ( Flow of Funds/Saving, Supplement 5 ); 1961-62— D epartm ent of
the T reasury ( Treasury B ulletin, Survey of Ow nership). Consumer sector shown as residual for survey years; survey tends to understate
holdings by financial institutions.

170

ency to liquidate holdings of U nited States
G overnm en t securities and to devote an in­
creasing share of th eir funds to relatively safe
bu t higher yielding investm ents. Life insurance
com panies began selling off G overnm ents
early in th e postw ar period, while casualty
com panies did n o t do so until the m id -1 9 5 0 ’s.
Savings and loan associations have gradually
added to th eir portfolios of T reasury securi­
ties, b u t these have declined sharply in p ro ­
p ortion to to tal assets.
A ll these types of savings institutions have
gradually increased th eir sm all holdings of
A gency securities since 1955, so th a t as a
group they accounted for about one-fifth of
the to tal am o u n t o u tstan d in g by the end of
1960. M o st o f them , m oreover, m ade fu rth er
net acquisitions of A gency securities in 1961
and 1962.
Savings-type institutions hold G overnm ent
securities partly fo r purposes of liquidity, and
partly because of legal restrictions on altern a­
tive investm ents, b u t — unlike com m ercial
banks o r co rp o ratio n s — they do not need to




em phasize the sh o rter m aturities. A s investors,
savings institutions traditionally devote the
bulk of th eir G o v ern m en t portfolios to higher
yielding, long-term m atu rities; yet, although
their holdings of sh o rt-term G overnm ents still
are relatively sm all, they have show n increas­
ing interest in short-term s as a result of expe­
riencing wide swings in G overnm ent bond
prices during the 1950’s. In addition, A gency
issues— m ostly those w ith m aturities o f less
th a n five years— now supplem ent short-term
G overnm ents in th e ir portfolios.
M utual savings b anks derive m ost of their
incom e from m ortgage loans and securities.
T h eir holdings of G overnm ents have declined
in relation to to tal assets th ro u g h o u t the p o st­
w ar period; at the sam e tim e, th eir preference
fo r the shorter m aturities has increased. Sav­
ings b an k investm ents in A gency securities
rose from ab o u t $ 1 0 0 m illion at the end of
1955 to ab o u t $600 m illion in 1962, o r to
nearly 11 p ercen t of th eir holdings of T reas­
ury securities. T he yield differential has been
an im p o rtan t facto r in this grow ing role of

November 1963

MONTHLY REVIEW

A gency securities as a supplem ent to G o v ern ­
ments.
Savings and loan associations devote as
m uch of their assets as possible to residential
m ortgage loans and certain o th er types of
loans associated w ith hom e purchase and
m aintenance. O utside th eir m ajo r area of in ­
vestm ent, legally perm issible investm ents for
federally ch artered savings and loan associa­
tions are lim ited to U nited States G overnm ent
securities and the obligations of the F ederal
H om e L o an B anks and the F ed eral N ational
M ortgage A ssociation.

Varying liquidity requirements
G overnm ent securities are held prim arily
to m eet legal reserve and liquidity require­
ments. B eyond this, liquidity needs are m et
largely through borrow ings from the F ed eral
H om e L oan B anks. Increased holdings of
G overnm ents in the p o stw ar perio d thus re ­
flect m ostly asset grow th and corresponding
increases in legally required assets. Agency
issues do not help m eet legal investm ent re ­
quirem ents, b u t associations increased their
investm ents in them from $ 1 0 0 m illion at the
end of 1955 to $700 m illion at the end of
1960 because of the yield advantage they of­
fered in com parison w ith T reasury issues.
Since 1960, how ever, savings and loan
associations (a t least th e larg er o n es) have
recorded little change in th e ir holdings of
Agency securities. T h eir in terest in p u rch as­
ing A gency securities for yield purposes was
probably w eakened by the narrow ing of the
yield differential betw een A gency and T reas­
ury issues in the 1961-62 period, especially
since A gency securities (as noted above) do
not help to m eet their legal investm ent re­
quirem ents.
Insurance com panies also have increased
their holdings of A gency securities since 1955,
b u t they rem ain a m inor facto r in the m arket.
Life insurance com panies hold com paratively
little; this is not surprising, how ever, in view
of their tendency th ro u g h o u t th e postw ar pe­



riod to liquidate th eir G overnm ent securities
portfolios and invest th eir funds in corporate
securities (p articu larly b o n d s) and residential
m ortgages. H igh yield and safety are th e in ­
vestm ent qualities these investors em phasize.
T hey do not rely on G overnm ent securities
for liquidity purposes to the sam e extent th at
o th er investors do, since th eir liquidity needs
are m et largely from the generally stable in ­
flow of prem ium paym ents.
P roperty and casualty com panies operate
differently, how ever, since they have large
liquidity requirem ents because of the natu re
of the insurance they underw rite. B o th stock
and m utual com panies devote about h alf th eir
to tal assets to investm ents th a t are considered
highly liquid, such as T reasury securities and
state and local bonds. D uring recent years
these investors actually have reduced the p ro ­
p o rtio n of th eir assets invested in G o v ern­
m ents, b u t m eanw hile they have added to
their sm all holdings of A gency securities. L ike
m utual savings banks, they favor relatively
sh ort-term A gency issues.
State and local governm ents are n o t heavy
investors in A gency issues, b u t their holdings
have risen gradually since the m id -1 9 5 0 ’s. A t
the end of 1962, general funds and pension
funds com bined held $480 m illion, o r slightly
less th an 5 p ercen t of outstanding A gency se­
curities. Some state and local governm ents
only recently have adopted policies o r regula­
tions perm itting them to invest in Agency is­
sues, and fo r this reason they m ay becom e an
increasingly im p o rtan t investor group. T heir
holdings of A gency securities are equivalent
to ab o u t 4 p ercen t of th eir investm ents in
T reasury obligations. P ension funds hold
m ostly the longer-term F ed eral L an d B ank
an d F an n ie M ae issues, while the general
funds concentrate on the sh o rter m aturities of
all A gency securities. State and local govern­
m ent bodies are relatively active in th e m ark et
fo r F annie M ae discount notes, w hich provide
the liquidity of T reasury bills at slightly higher
yields.

FEDERAL RESERVE B A N K OF S A N F R A N C I S C O

The differential persists
Individuals and o th e r investors, such as
nonprofit organizations, have absorbed a large
p ro p o rtio n o f the A gency securities issued
since 1954. In years w hen large increases
occurred in the supply of A gency securities—
such as 1955, 1957 and 1959— individuals
w ere the largest purchasers. A lthough indi­
viduals ow n relatively large am ounts in all
m aturities, they are th e principal investors in
the 5-15 year m aturities. F o r this group, the
safety of A gency securities, com bined with
the con tin u atio n of a yield differential, m ake
them highly com petitive w ith G overnm ents
as perso n al investm ents.
Several factors have helped account fo r the
narrow ing o f th e yield differential betw een
A gency an d T reasury securities in recent
years. A substantial long-term grow th in
supply (provided it is not excessive) is a p re­
requisite fo r such a developm ent. W hen a
p articu lar type o f security is in very scarce
supply relative to o th er investm ents, the is­
suer m ust offer a yield advantage in o rd er to

172



secure a ready m arket. B ut a b roadened m a r­
ket— evidenced in the case of A gency securi­
ties by an increase bo th in absolute term s and
in p ro p o rtio n to th e supply of m arketable
F ed eral securities— has tended to narrow the
differential over tim e. M oreover, m ark et con­
ditions p eculiar to the 1961-62 p erio d have
enhanced the dem and fo r A gency issues and
o p erated to reduce fu rth er th eir yield advan­
tage.
T he m arket m ay reg ard som e differential
as necessary, how ever, because A gency secu­
rities are not direct obligations of, n o r are they
g u aran teed by, th e F ed eral G overnm ent. Som e
differential is likely to persist, m oreover, be­
cause the A gency m ark et— being only a sm allscale copy of the G overnm ent securities m a r­
ket— can n o t com pete equally w ith the b read th
and depth offered by th a t m ark et. T he incen­
tive to invest in A gency securities still depends
partly on th eir yield advantage, w hich m akes
them attractive investm ents fo r sm aller com ­
m ercial banks, individuals, an d sim ilar invest­
ors who desire securities to hold to m aturity.

November 1963




MONTHLY REVIEW

M onthly R eview is published by the R esearch D ep art­
m ent of the F ed eral R eserve B ank of San F rancisco.
Individual and group subscriptions to th e M onthly R e ­
view are available on request fro m the A dm inistrative
Service D ep artm en t, F ed eral R eserve B ank of San F ra n ­
cisco, 400 Sansom e Street, San F rancisco 20, C alifornia.

173

FEDERAL

RESERVE

BANK

OF

SAN

FRANCISCO

BANKING AND CREDIT STATISTICS AND BUSINESS INDEXES—TWELFTH DISTRICT'
(I n d e x e s : 1 9 5 7 - 1 9 5 9 = 1 0 0 . D o lla r am ou n ts in m illio n s o f d o lla r s )

Condition items of all member banks2' 7
Year
and
Month

Loans
and
discounts

Demand
deposits
adjusted3

Total
time
deposits

1929
1933
1939
1953
1954
1955
1956
1957
1958
1959
1960
1961
1962

2,239
1,486
1,967
9,220
9,418
11,124
12,613
13,178
13,812
16,537
17,139
18.499

495
720
1,450
6,639
7,942
7,239
6,452
6,619
8,003
6,673
6,964
8,278

1,234
951
1,983
10,515
11,196
11,864
12,169
11,870
12,729
13,375
13,060
14,163

1,790
1,609
2,267
7,997
8,699
9,120
9,424
10,679
12,077
12,452
13,034
15,116

19
8
14
69
71
80
88
94
96
109
117
125
141

1962
O ctober
N ovem ber
D ecem ber

20,460
20,589
21,102

7,471
7,501
7,608

13,969
14,012
14,431

16,934
16,827
17,093

142r
144r
146

1963
Ja n u a ry
F eb ru ary
M arch
A pril
M ay
Ju n e
Ju ly
A ugust
Septem ber
O ctober

21,035
21,403
21,480
21,714
21,894
22,140
22,277
22,517
22,895
22,993p

7,454
7,130
7,130
7,103
7,069
7,153
7,002
6,905
6,949
6,848p

13,917
13,527
13,646
14,175
13,427
13,610
14,030
13,838
13,975
14,416p

17,390
17,532
17,760
17,868
18,111
18,264
18,363
18,426
18,446
18,703p

146
149
152
147
152
152
159
164
167
165

U.S.
Gov’t
securities

Total
nonagricultura 1
employ­
ment

Bank rates
Bank debits
index
31 cities1’ 6

short-term
business
loans6’ 7

4.14
4.09
4.10
4.50
4.97
4.88
5.36
5.62
5.46

5.50

5^6
5.53
'5.47

Car­
loadings
(number)6

Dep’t
store
sales
(value)6

Retail
food
prices
7. 8

86
85
90
95
98
98
104
106
108
113

86
84
90
96
101
96
103
103
103
109

110
56
83
108
103
112
112
103
96
101
95
94
104

18
11
19
74
74
82
91
93
98
109
110
115
123

53
34
38
93
93
92
94
97
101
101
103
104

114
114
115

111
110
111

104
102
101

121
128
127

106
105
106

116
116
116
116
116
116
116
117
117p

111
111
111
110
110
108
108
110
110p

90
103
105
99
103

127
128
130
118
129
127
128
132
125

107
107
107
107
106
106
108
107
107

Waterborne Foreign Trade Index7* 9•

Industrial production (physical volum e)5

Year
and
month

Total
mf’g
employ­
ment

Exports

Petroleum7

Imports

Refined

Cement

Steel7

Copper7

Electric
power

Total

Dry Cargo

Tanker

Total

Dry Cargo

1929
1933
1939
1952
1953
1954
1955
1956
1957
1958
1959
1960
1961
1962

84
35
62
101
102
101
107
104
93
98
109
98
95
97

91
54
70
112
114
111
111
109
106
98
96
95
96
96

61
39
49
90
95
92
96
100
103
96
101
104
108
111

34
17
35
77
82
83
90
97
93
99
108
101
105
111

13
11
17
61
69
73
82
89
95
97
107
115
124
131

96
55
82
86
71
67
84
101
117
89
95
122
126
115

61

193

*

'4 3
81
56
57
72
105
124
86
90
123
134
123

190
lO lr
113
96
117
91
96
96
108
120r
104
92

20
12
16
33
51
44
52
75
95
92
112
133
134
144

55

i6
92
105
85
102
108
114
94
92
102
111
100

89
15
70
100
98
90
104
114
113
101
86
112
119
128

'41
61
70
71
80
86
93
95
113
117
116
126

" i
18
41
28
35
69
97
91
112
142
145
155

1962
S eptem ber
O ctober
N ovem ber
D ecem ber

98
98
104
103

96
97
97
97

113
112
113
113

115
120
115
121

90
88
91
100

119
127
127
127

133
132
135
131

105
96
93
154

121
105
91
157

61
72
99
144r

153r
158
163
134

122
154
127
124

l7 1 r
161
183
140

101
94
104
91
93
94

96
96
97
98
98
98
97
98

113
111
110
108
112
116
115
116

122
118
122
105
111
111
127
118
117

98r
123r
123r
134r
141 r
131p
109p
105p
104p

125
130
134
135
127
121
105
105p

142
134
137
136
135

127
132
144
153

139
145
164
155

94
96
90
148

123
111
114
166

128
119
131
155

120
107
104
172

1963
J a n u a ry
F e b ru a ry
M arch
A pril
M ay
Ju n e
Ju ly
A ugust
S eptem ber

Lumber

Crude

Tanker

1 A djusted for seasonal variation, except where indicated. E xcept for b anking a n d cred it a n d d e p a rtm e n t sto re sta tistics, a ll indexes a re based upon
d a ta from outside sources, as follows: lum ber, N ational L um ber M a n u fac tu rers’ A ssociation, W est C oast L u m b erm an 's A ssociation, a n d W estern
Pine A ssociation; petroleum , cem ent, a n d copper, U.S. B u reau of M ines; steel, U.S. D e p artm en t of Com m erce and A m erican Iro n a n d Steel In s titu te ;
electric power, F ederal Pow er Com m ission; n onagri cultural and m anufacturing em ploym ent, U.S. B u reau of L abor S ta tistic s a n d coop eratin g s ta te
agencies; re ta il food prices, U.S. B u reau of L abor S ta tistics; carloadings, various railro ad s a n d railroad associations; and foreign tra d e , U .S. D e p a rtm e n t
of Commerce*
3 A nnual figures are as of end of year, m on th ly figures as of la s t W ednesday in m onth.
1 D em an d deposits, excluding
in te rb a n k a n d U.S. G overnm ent deposits, less cash item s in process of collection. M o n th ly d a ta p a rtly e stim ated .
4 D eb its to to ta l deposits
except in te rb a n k p rio r to 1942. D ebits to dem and deposits except U.S. G overnm ent and in te rb a n k deposits fro m 1942.
5 D aily a v era g e,
f A verage ra te s on loans m ade in five m ajor cities, w eighted by loan size category.
7 N o t a d ju ste d for seasonal v a ria tio n .
8 A new
index now com bining n o t only Los Angeles, S an Francisco, and S e a ttle food indexes b u t also P o rtlan d . R ew eighted by 1960 C ensus figures on popu­
la tio n of sta n d a rd m etro p o litan areas.
9 Com m ercial cargo only, in physical volum e, for th e Pacific C o ast custom s d istric ts plus A laska a n d
H aw aii; sta rtin g w ith Ju ly 1950, “ special categ o ry ” exports are excluded because of security reasons.
10 A laska a n d H aw aii a re included in
indexes beginning in 1950.
v — Prelim inary.
r— R evised.
* Less th a n 0.5 percent.

174