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View Full Version : Geithner admits Fed helped cause crisis w/ low interest rates



emazur
06-15-2009, 04:39 AM
This was from last month at an interview w/ Charlie Rose - I just found it and don't recall seeing it posted here.

Mr. Geithner: "But I would say there were three types of broad errors of policy and policy both here and around the world. One was that monetary policy around the world was too loose too long. And that created this just huge boom in asset prices, money chasing risk. People trying to get a higher return. That was just overwhelmingly powerful."

Mr. Geithner: "Remember as the Fed started -- the Fed started tightening earlier, but our long rates in the United States started to come down -- even were coming down even as the Fed was tightening over that period of time, and partly because monetary policy around the world was too loose, and that kind of overwhelmed the efforts of the Fed to initially tighten. Now, but you know, we all bear a responsibility for that. I'm not trying to put it on the world."
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124208327133908471.html

Also, if anyone's interested, I found and uploaded a clip of an ex-JP Morgan banker saying last month that the crisis would have happened even if credit derivatives had been outlawed:
YouTube - Crisis would have occured even if derivatives were outlawed (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LFIIbo0QaA)

hugolp
06-15-2009, 05:02 AM
Its the new mantra: Oh, yeah, the FED was part of the cause, but dont worry, we have learned it wont happen again. Just lets us keep the power, because we have learned so much, that it wont happen again.

Omphfullas Zamboni
06-15-2009, 05:21 AM
These quotations should go into Mr. Geithner's Wikiquotes page.

Aratus
06-15-2009, 09:10 AM
we know 1907 and 1929 had their speculative bubbles as did the last decade...

jon_perez
06-15-2009, 09:47 AM
^ as Greenspan said, bubbles can only be determined in hindsight...

How can anyone argue with that? :p

jon_perez
06-15-2009, 09:51 AM
Also, if anyone's interested, I found and uploaded a clip of an ex-JP Morgan banker saying last month that the crisis would have happened even if credit derivatives had been outlawed:
YouTube - Crisis would have occured even if derivatives were outlawed (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LFIIbo0QaA)He makes a very good point although AIG toppling over definitely exacerbates the entire situation tremendously since it had ginormous positions with a lot of bank counterparties.