Fed Balance Sheet Screensaver
The Fed Balance Sheet screensaver charts the U.S. Federal Reserve's total balance sheet size over time — the real figure central-bank watchers use to track quantitative easing and tightening — refreshed by a background pipeline using your free FRED API key. It's free, runs in your browser, and ESC exits.
Live preview
Press ESC to leave fullscreen. Settings are saved in your browser only.
How the Fed Balance Sheet screensaver works
A background pipeline reads the Federal Reserve's real weekly balance-sheet total from the St. Louis Fed's FRED data service, using your free key.
The chart plots the real total over recent years, so the post-2020 expansion and later runoff are both visible.
The current total and its change from the prior week are shown alongside the chart.
Readings refresh on the pipeline's schedule, not live tick by tick.
Reading the Federal Reserve's balance sheet
The Federal Reserve's balance sheet is the list of what the central bank owns and owes. The weekly statistical release known as H.4.1, Factors Affecting Reserve Balances, includes a consolidated balance sheet for the 12 Reserve Banks, a balance sheet for each Reserve Bank, and a statement of the factors affecting depository institutions' reserve balances. It is typically published on Thursday afternoon.
The total grows when the Fed buys securities, a policy often called quantitative easing, and shrinks when securities mature without being replaced or are sold, called quantitative tightening. The balance sheet is a tool distinct from the policy interest rate, though the two can be used together.
The series is published by the Federal Reserve and distributed through FRED, the data service of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. The release reports both the level on a particular Wednesday and averages of daily figures for the week, so a quoted number depends on which one is used. A level is an amount in dollars, not a rate of growth. Weekly figures can move for technical reasons such as settlement timing, and revisions are possible. A chart of the total says nothing on its own about the economy, and this page offers no view on policy.
A worked example
The chart's climbing stretch is the real 2020 expansion; its later decline is the real runoff since — an honest picture straight from the Fed's own published series, not a stylized illustration.
Settings & tips
- Accent recolours the chart line.
- Run
automation/run.py fedbalanceon your pipeline machine to refresh the data. - A free FRED API key is required — see the site's setup notes.
Frequently asked questions
- Is the data real?
- Yes. It comes straight from the St. Louis Fed's FRED data service, the real published weekly balance-sheet series.
- Why does it need a pipeline?
- FRED's JSON API requires a free key, which stays on your pipeline machine and never reaches the browser.
- How do I get a key?
- Register for free at the FRED website — no cost, approval is usually immediate.
- Is it free?
- Yes — free to use; only the pipeline's FRED key requires a free signup.
- What is the difference between the balance sheet and interest rates?
- The policy rate sets the price of short-term borrowing, while balance-sheet operations change the quantity of reserves and the Fed's holdings. Central banks can adjust either or both.
- What is quantitative tightening?
- It is the process of letting the balance sheet shrink, typically by allowing bonds to mature without reinvesting all the proceeds. It reduces bank reserves over time.
- Why is the figure reported on Wednesdays?
- The H.4.1 tables report a Wednesday level alongside weekly averages of daily figures, and the release is typically published on the Thursday afternoon after. A quoted number depends on which measure is used.