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US-USA-FED-DISCOUNT:Fed balance sheet shrinks on the week
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Federal Reserve's balance sheet shrank on the week with reduced holdings of agency mortgage-backed securities, Fed data released on Thursday showed.
The Fed's balance sheet - a broad gauge of its lending to the financial system - stood at $2.795 trillion on August 29, down from $2.808 trillion on August 22.
The Fed's holdings of Treasuries totaled $1.639 trillion as of Wednesday versus $1.637 trillion the previous week.
The Fed's overnight direct loans to credit-worthy banks via its discount window averaged $32 million a day during the week compared with a $10 million a day average rate the prior week.
The Fed's ownership of mortgage bonds guaranteed by Fannie Mae <FNMA.OB>, Freddie Mac <FMCC.OB> and the Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae) totaled $843.60 billion versus $859.31 billion the previous week.
The Fed's holdings of debt issued by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Federal Home Loan Bank system totaled $87.21 billion, which was unchanged on the week.
(Reporting by Chris Reese; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
