The Federal Reserve operates with a sizable balance sheet that includes a large number of distinct assets and liabilities. The Federal Reserve's balance sheet contains a great deal of information about the scale and scope of its operations.
What is a Fed balance sheet?
The essence of the Fed's balance sheet is quite simple: Anything the Fed must pay money for facbecomes the Fed's asset.
When does the Federal Reserve publish its balance sheet?
Each week, the Federal Reserve publishes its balance sheet, typically on Thursday afternoon around 4:30 p.m. The balance sheet is included in the Federal Reserve's H.4.1 statistical release, "Factors Affecting Reserve Balances of Depository Institutions and Condition Statement of Federal Reserve Banks," available on this website.
