The Federal Reserve is a key participant in the money market. The Federal Reserve controls the supply of reserves available to banks and other depository institutions primarily through the purchase and sale of Treasury bills, either outright in the bill market or on a temporary basis in the market for repurchase agreements. By controlling the supply of reserves, the Federal Reserve is able to influence the federal funds rate. Movements in this rate, in turn, can have pervasive effects on other money market rates. The Federal Reserve's purchases and sales of Treasury bills—called "open market operations"—are carried out by the.
