Treasury Bills Types, Features and Advantages of Government Treasury Bills

T-bill interest rates tend to approach the RBI’s interest rate, also known as the Repo rate. Nevertheless, an increase in the repo rate tends to attract investment in other debt securities, resulting in a decline in the T-bill interest rate . The reduction will continue until the yield on Treasury bills surpasses the repo rate. T bills are distinguished based on the length of their tenure. While the holding period for every type of treasury bills is the same, the discount rates and face value continue to change depending on the monetary policy, number of bids, and requirements for funding. With an Rs. 25,000 minimum investment, these bills are sold in multiples of Rs. 25,000.

T-Bills have zero-coupon rates, i.e. no interest is earned on a T-Bill investment. Rather T-Bills are purchased at a discount to par value from RBI and the RBI promises to pay back the entire face value at the time of maturity. Based on the time of maturity, RBI auctions 14-Day and 91-Day T-Bills every week on Fridays whereas 182 and 364- Day T-Bills are auctioned every alternate week on Wednesdays. T-bills will attract short term capital gain at rates applicable as per the income tax slab of an investor. Leading stock exchange NSE on 4th July began trading in T-91 Bills, the shortest tenure debt securities issued by the government to meet its short-term borrowing requirements. A short term treasury bill helps the government raise funds to meet its current obligations, which are in excess of its annual revenue generation.

The auction for treasury bills happens every week through non-competitive bidding, and this allows small-scale and retail investors to take part in the bidding without worrying about quoting the yield price. These bills are issued at a discounted rate, and the final price is determined through auctions—the auction state place on a fortnightly basis, possibly every alternate Wednesday. The treasury bills are issued at a discount, and the redemption happens at total face value, and the investors receive the full value at the maturity date. ● Beginners – Treasury bills are easy to understand and not too complex. The investor has sufficient details about returns on investment.

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The Reserve Bank of India also issues suchtreasury billsunder its open market operations strategy to regulate its inflation level and spending/borrowing habits of individuals. During times of economic boom leading to high and persistent inflation rates in the country, high-valuetreasury billsare issued to the public, which, thereby, reduces aggregate money supply in an economy. It effectively curbs the surging demand rates, and in turn, high prices hurting the poorer sections of the society. But, during the repayment, investors are paid the total face value of the treasury bills. Governments use treasury bills for short-term capital requirements.

• Investors who need cash during an emergency can sell their treasury bills in the security market and meet their liquidity needs.
• As a result, the returns remain the same throughout the tenure no matter what the economic conditions and the changes in the business cycle.
• The Central government issues several types of financial instruments to raise funds for their financial obligations.
• Treasury bills investments come with many advantages as it provides safety and security to its investors.

Treasury bills are money market instruments used by the government to raise funds for a short period, and they are the safest securities besides government bonds. They are not interest-generating securities, and they are sold at a discounted rate, but the government pays in total face value during maturity. Hence, treasury bills are a powerful financial instrument for booking capital gains. Treasury bills are the safest fixed income investment instrument in its category as the risk of default is negligible. The yield is also predetermined as the date of issue, the maturity dates and the amount is also fixed.

Treasury Bills (T-bills)

T-91 day treasury bill by the government of India in the form of a promissory note with the repayment guarantee on the mentioned date. Funds collected through treasury bills are typically for the central government to meet the short-term needs such as building necessary infrastructure- hospitals, roads, highways, etc. Treasury billsare auctioned by the RBI every week through non-competitive bidding, thereby allowing retail and small-scale investors to partake in such bids without having to quote the yield rate or price. It increases the exposure of amateur investors to the government securities market, thereby creating higher cash flows to the capital market. Primarily, treasury bills are short term money market securities generated by the Reserve bank of India on behalf of the central government. The primary purpose of the government behind issuing treasury bills is to raise short-term funds to meet its short-term obligations that are more than the annual revenue generated by the government.

It announces the exact date of the auction, the amount to be auctioned and the maturity dates before every auction. The primary distinction for these treasury bills tbills is their holding period. The auction is on every Wednesday of reporting week and repaid on the following Friday after the term gets over. If you are interested in investing in treasury bills, you can easily do so with your demat account. And in case you do not have an account yet, worry not because you can open an online demat account with Motilal Oswal in a matter of just a few minutes. For instance, it needs to focus on reducing the country’s fiscal deficit and regulating the total currency in circulation.

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This allows the retail investors to place their noncompetitive bids. This increases the exposure of investors to the government bond market, which creates higher cash flows to the capital market. The Reserve Bank of India also uses treasury bills for its open market operations to control the liquidity and inflation in the economy. When the central bank perceives excess money in the economy, it sells treasury bills to investors to wipe off the surplus funds and vice versa. As a government can never run out of funds, treasury bills are perceived as risk- free investments.

Therefore, individuals with a short-term investment horizon prefer to invest in treasury bills. Investment can liquidate the securities in case of an emergency. Alternatively, individuals may invest in open-ended mutual funds that deal primarily in treasury bills and government securities. Conversely, RBI uses a contractionary policy for economic slowdown and recession.

Pay 20% or “var + elm” whichever is higher as upfront margin of the transaction value to trade in cash market segment. Update your mobile number & email Id with your stock broker/depository participant and receive OTP directly from depository on your email id and/or mobile number to create pledge. Stock Brokers can accept securities as margin from clients only by way of pledge in the depository system w.e.f. September 1, 2020.

These sovereign https://1investing.in/ play a crucial role in regulating the total money supply in an economy, which, in turn, influences funds pooled into the capital market. As stated above, a government treasury bill is issued as a short-term fundraising tool for the government and has the highest maturity period of 364 days. Individuals looking to generate short term gains through secure investments can choose to park their funds in such securities.

A fixed deposit scheme does not depend upon the influence of market forces and bank FDs are regarded as the safest. The Bajaj Finance Fixed Deposit has high stability ratings such as ICRA’s MAAA and CRISIL’s FAAA, making it more reliable. These bills reach maturity 91 days from the date of issuance.

They play a crucial role in regulating the total money supply in the economy. Stock market variations influence the returns generated by equity, equity fund, debt fund and debt instruments. Subsequently, when the stock market moves upwards, the yield generated by equity, equity fund, debt fund or debt instruments is also higher.

T-bills are one of the safest financial instruments in the market. But since T-bills offer a fixed interest rate, existing T-bills may become unfavourable if interest rates in the market start rising. While investors can also look at putting their money in bank fixed deposits, but it must be noted that treasury bills come with the added advantage of being open for sale in the secondary market . If an FD investor wishes to liquidate it before maturity, the bank could levy charges. T-bills are considered one of the secured forms of investment in our country. This instrument is ideal for investors who have surplus funds and want to invest in the safe tool to enjoy substantial returns.

Who Should Consider Investing in Treasury Bills?

T-bills are shortterm securities issued on behalf of the government by the RBI and are used in managing shortterm liquidity needs of the government. You may open a trading and demat account with a stock brokers, with ease, sell and purchase Treasury bills in the secondary market. Government bonds may not be subject to credit risk, but they are still subject to interest rate risk. However, investors should take note that in this situation as well, you must keep onto the bonds until they mature because selling them during an increase in interest rates could result in losses.

Every Wednesday, the Reserve Bank auctions treasury bills in the market on behalf of the government. The quantum of securities auctioned depends on bids placed on major stock exchanges. Investors may invest in treasury bills through commercial banks, depository participants, or primary dealers.

With around six years of total experience, mutual funds and personal finance are her focus areas. Although treasury bills do not offer returns, you can calculate the annualised return you will get from investing in T-Bills. Zerodha founder and CEO Nitin Kamath also spoke in favour of T-bills on Monday suggesting that they are better than a bank fixed deposit at current rates.