BEP >> May 2010

BEP production for May 2010:

$1 = 89.6 M
$2 = none
$5 = 96.0 M
$10 = none
$20 = 160.0 M
$50 = none
$100 = 204.8 M
Average value per note: $44.06

Fourteenth consecutive month without $10 or $50 bills.

Most $100 bills since November 2009.

The effects of a heavy recession are reflecting in the FY2010 production figures. Small value bills and low usage bills aren't wearing out or being replaced, while large value bills are being heavily printed. The last four months have been the lowest production months for $1 bills in the last eight years. Bills with lower usage in circulation, like $5s , $10s and $50s, are not wearing out from use, so there is little demand for new replacement notes. Large bills like $20s and $100s have been heavily reprinted, reflecting higher demand for them both at home and abroad. Perhaps it's foreign demand for reserve greenbacks. Perhaps it's the fallback to cash now that credit card usage is down. Perhaps it's just good old inflation.