Liquidity injections to reduce cash pressure

Holiday demand, IPOs have financial institutions pressed to meet requirements

Monetary authorities seem to have joined the holiday spending spree by offering "red envelopes" worth billions of dollars to financial institutions to avert a seasonal liquidity crunch ahead of the Lunar New Year, which starts next week.

Increased demand for cash for year-end bonuses to employees and preparing red envelopes for friends and relatives, as well as last-minute holiday shopping, has banks under pressure to meet the demand.