The dangerous distortions in the allocation of credit that risk weighted bank capital requirements cause, is seemingly something that shall not be discussed.

... not even by those former central bankers who refuse to fade away

Sir, with respects to “the attack on the European Central Bank’s by six former central bankers” you write “Only one thing can match the stature of the complainants and that is the hollowness of their complaint.” “The euro’s guardians face a roar of the dinosaurs” October 7.

In their memo we read: “The negative impact of the ultra-low interest environment extends from the banking system, through insurance companies and pension funds, to the entire financial sector. The re-distribution effects in favour of owners of real assets, create serious social tensions. The young generations consider themselves deprived of the opportunity to provide for their old age through safe interest-bearing investments… and also furthers a ‘zombification’ of the economy”

Of course in the short run low and even negative interest rates benefit those who borrow more than those who save but, hopefully, one always hopes that will be made up in the future, by means of increased productivity and economic growth.

Significantly though the “dinosaurs” left out mentioning the distortions in the allocation of credit produced by the risk weighted bank capital requirements, which benefits especially the borrowings of sovereigns, that which FT does not want to discuss either. 

I ask. Where would the Europe/Eurozone’s interest rates on sovereign be if banks, as it was for around 600 years before 1988’s Basel Accord, needed to hold the same amount of capital against loans to the sovereigns, currently 0%, than against loans to unrated European entrepreneurs, currently 8%? Dare try thinking about that. Ask your own journalists to try to answer that question.

And neither do they discuss the special case of the 0% risk weight assigned to all Eurozone sovereigns’ debts, even though none of these can print euros. Could it be because of a bad conscience?

And with respect to the young generation what it really should be up in arms against, are the much lower capital requirements for banks when financing the safer present than when financing that riskier future on which its good outcome the young really depend on.

@PerKurowski

Perhaps Otmar Issing should lower the volume of his preaching to Europe.

Sir, in much I agree with what Otmar Issing writes in “Get your finances in order and stop blaming Germany”, March 26, though perhaps he might not be the best suited to be doing the preaching.

As a former chief economist of ECB Issing should have known that: allowing German banks to lend too much to for instance Spain and Italy, against zero capital, and affecting those German small businesses who do not get credit because when lending to them German banks do need to hold much capital; and which later might cause German bank busts which hurt German taxpayers, could be said being disguised transfers from Germans to Spain and Italy.

When Otmar Issing ends stating “The Eurozone did not fall into a crisis because the initial rules were flawed” he should not forget how flawed bank regulations became, are.

Otmar Issing, for your benefit, here´s an aide-mémoire… Who did the Eurozone in?