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The Reserve Requirements Fad: A Solution in Search of a Problem NeilW

Summary:
The Latest Epicycle in Interest Rate MythologyEvery so often, a new fad emerges to prop up the fantasy that interest rate targeting is some economic panacea. The latest contender? Reserve requirements.The premise is simple: if we stop paying interest on massive excess reserve quantities held by banks, we won’t have to hand over vast sums to them. The stunning amount of intellectual effort required to come to this conclusion is why economists earn the big money. Predictably, it has been seized upon by those Right-Thinking Lefties who detest bank profits but remain wedded to the mystical notion of an all-controlling interest rate.Misunderstanding Banking—AgainSince economists construct their banking theories on layers of myths, they inevitably arrive at the wrong conclusions. Yanis

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The Latest Epicycle in Interest Rate Mythology

Every so often, a new fad emerges to prop up the fantasy that interest rate targeting is some economic panacea. The latest contender? Reserve requirements.

The premise is simple: if we stop paying interest on massive excess reserve quantities held by banks, we won’t have to hand over vast sums to them. The stunning amount of intellectual effort required to come to this conclusion is why economists earn the big money. Predictably, it has been seized upon by those Right-Thinking Lefties who detest bank profits but remain wedded to the mystical notion of an all-controlling interest rate.

Misunderstanding Banking—Again

Since economists construct their banking theories on layers of myths, they inevitably arrive at the wrong conclusions. Yanis Varoufakis fell into precisely this trap when applying the reserve requirement argument to the UK.

So, let’s take a step back and examine reserve requirements in the context of UK banking—without the distortions of mainstream economic dogma....
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The Reserve Requirements Fad: A Solution in Search of a Problem
NeilW
Mike Norman
Mike Norman is an economist and veteran trader whose career has spanned over 30 years on Wall Street. He is a former member and trader on the CME, NYMEX, COMEX and NYFE and he managed money for one of the largest hedge funds and ran a prop trading desk for Credit Suisse.

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