October 25, 2015

Shrink & Sage, here is the latest key I am trying to open that lock that stops Financial Times from understanding.

Sir, The Shrink &The Sage’s ask: “Must we get to the bottom of things?” October 24. Of course we must… especially when it really matters.

The Shrink refers to “Steve de Shazer [recommending that instead of looking] more and more effort into finding out why the lock is as it is or why it doesn’t open… we should be looking at keys” Indeed that is what I have done in my TeaWithFT.

I have for a long time, by means of over 2.000 letters to the editor, been looking for the key with which make the Financial Times understand the true horrors of current bank regulations. Seemingly I have not found on yet, but in words of The Sage, I will keep on looking for what is under the turtle.

The latest key I have been trying out is the following:

Data found on the web:
The fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled in motorcycles is 21.45
The fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled in cars is 1.14
In 2011 in the US, 4,612 persons died in motorcycle accidents
In 2011 in the US, 32,479 persons died in vehicle accidents

And so, even though travelling by motorcycle is about 20 times riskier than cars, cars cause about 7 times more deaths than motorcyclists. That is of course because the riskier something is perceived, the more care is taken to avoid the risk.

And yet no one at The Financial Times seem to find something wrong with bank regulators having decided on higher capital requirements for banks when lending “the risky” motorcyclist of the economy, SMEs and entrepreneurs, than when lending to “the safe” car drivers, sovereigns and corporations with high ratings… even though clearly dangerous excessive lending to the latter is much more likely to occur… and even though that clearly must lead to a dangerous misallocation of bank credit to the real economy.

What are my chances this key will work? I guess slim, I guess I will just be told I am being boringly monotonous again.

@PerKurowski ©