Definitions as of 13 Nov 2026.
Fed Balance Sheet
The Federal Reserve’s balance sheet is the total of the assets it holds, mainly Treasury securities and mortgage-backed securities. The Fed publishes it every week in its H.4.1 statistical release, usually on Thursdays around 16:30 US Eastern time.
How to read it. Falling total assets mean the Fed is shrinking its balance sheet (often called quantitative tightening); rising assets mean it is adding to it. Reserve balances are what banks hold at the Fed. The Treasury general account is the US government’s own account there, and when it grows, reserves usually fall.