What is the difference between a government money market fund and a treasury money market fund

Washington, DC; November 17, 2022—Total money market fund assets1 increased by $3.44 billion to $4.62 trillion for the week ended Wednesday, November 16, the Investment Company Institute reported today. Among taxable money market funds, government funds2 decreased by $8.10 billion and prime funds increased by $12.16 billion. Tax-exempt money market funds decreased by $615 million. Due to the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday, November 24, data for the week ending November 22 will be available on Wednesday, November 23.

Assets of Money Market Funds
Billions of dollars

11/16/2022

11/9/2022

$ Change*

11/2/2022

Government

3,918.64

3,926.75

-8.10

3,945.13

     Retail

1,144.65

1,140.21

4.44

1,144.59

     Institutional

2,774.00

2,786.54

-12.54

2,800.53

Prime

592.87

580.71

12.16

573.20

     Retail

356.90

348.95

7.95

342.49

     Institutional

235.97

231.76

4.20

230.71

Tax-exempt

113.08

113.69

-0.62

113.47

     Retail

100.44

101.03

-0.59

100.13

     Institutional

12.64

12.66

-0.03

13.34

Total

4,624.59

4,621.16

3.44

4,631.79

     Retail

1,601.99

1,590.19

11.80

1,587.21

     Institutional

3,022.60

3,030.97

-8.37

3,044.59

*Change in money market fund assets is primarily driven by flows and can be used as a proxy for net new cash flows.

Note: Components may not add to the total or compute to the $ change due to rounding.

Retail:3 Assets of retail money market funds increased by $11.80 billion to $1.60 trillion. Among retail funds, government money market fund assets increased by $4.44 billion to $1.14 trillion, prime money market fund assets increased by $7.95 billion to $356.90 billion, and tax-exempt fund assets decreased by $589 million to $100.44 billion.

Institutional:3 Assets of institutional money market funds decreased by $8.37 billion to $3.02 trillion. Among institutional funds, government money market fund assets decreased by $12.54 billion to $2.77 trillion, prime money market fund assets increased by $4.20 billion to $235.97 billion, and tax-exempt fund assets decreased by $26 million to $12.64 billion.

ICI reports money market fund assets to the Federal Reserve each week. Data for previous weeks reflect revisions due to data adjustments, reclassifications, and changes in the number of funds reporting. Weekly money market assets for the last 20 weeks are available on the ICI website.     

If you have any questions or would like to request additional comments on this or data on another topic, please contact a member of ICI’s Media Relations team at 202-371-5413 or .

ENDNOTES

1 Data for exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and funds that invest primarily in other mutual funds were excluded from the series.

2 Government money market funds, formerly referred to as “Treasury (including agency and repo),” are money market funds that invest in cash, securities issued by the US Treasury (including repurchase agreements collateralized fully by US Treasury securities), and securities issued or guaranteed by the US government or its agencies, and repurchase agreements for those securities.

3 ICI classifies funds and share classes as institutional or retail based on language in the fund prospectus. Retail funds are sold primarily to the general public and include funds sold predominantly to employer-sponsored retirement plans and variable annuities. Institutional funds are sold primarily to institutional investors or institutional accounts purchased by or through an institution such as an employer, trustee, or fiduciary on behalf of its clients, employees, or owners. For a detailed description of ICI classifications, please see ICI Open-End Investment Objective Definitions.

Which is better Fidelity Government Money Market Fund or Fidelity Treasury money market fund?

Fidelity U. S. Treasury money market fund is the safest of the lot while Fidelity U. S. Government Reserves and Fidelity Government Money Market Fund are a close second. Money market funds investing in commercial paper or debt issued by municipalities tend to carry a bit more risk.

Whats a government money market fund?

Government money market funds are defined as money market funds that invest 99.5% or more of their total assets in very liquid investments, namely, cash, government securities, and/or repurchase agreements that are collateralized fully with government securities.

How safe Is Fidelity Government Money Market Fund?

You could lose money by investing in the fund. Although the fund seeks to preserve the value of your investment at $1.00 per share, it cannot guarantee it will do so. An investment in the fund is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

What is a fidelity Treasury money market fund?

Fidelity Treasury Money Market Fund (FZFXX) Seeks as high a level of current income as is consistent with the preservation of capital and liquidity. Normally invests at least 99.5% of the fund's total assets in cash, U.S. Treasury securities and/or repurchase agreements for those securities.