Only a very dependent statist central bank would assign its sovereign a 0% risk weight.

Sir, Lord Skidelsky writes, “The failure of central banks to prevent — or even foresee — the 2008 financial crash stems directly from their acceptance of Eugene Fama’s efficient market theory, which implied that commercial banks needed only light regulation.” “Central banks should not set economic policy” December 13.

NO!

The risk weighted capital requirements for banks, by which banks, according to Basel II, could leverage limitless with sovereigns, 62.5 times with AAA to AA rated, and only 12.5 times with risky entrepreneurs and SMEs is anything but light regulation. It is a very heavy handed intervention.

Lord Skidelsky rightly says: “Most of the money pumped into the economy by quantitative easing leaked out into the financial and real estate sectors rather than stimulating the real economy”. Yes, but that was primarily so because some inept besserwisser regulators were/are convinced that what bankers perceive as risky, is more dangerous to our bank system than what bankers perceive as safe; and those having assets are usually perceived to be safer, something which ain’t necessarily so. 

Sir, also, let me be clearer yet; a central bank that agrees with a 0% risk weight of the sovereign is far from independent; it is a very dependent statist central bank.

@PerKurowski