The Federal Reserve said Thursday it is encouraged by the reaction of banks to the extraordinary efforts to provide liquidity to the US economy amid the coronavirus pandemic. The Fed had earlier in the week opened its "discount window" to make it easier for banks to borrow from it at very low cost -- which financial institutions are often reluctant to do for fear of stigma. The Fed said in a statement it is "encouraged by the notable increase in discount window borrowing this week with banks demonstrating a willingness to use the discount window as a source of funding to support the flow of credit to households and businesses." hs/cs