Moral Hazard

The recent proposal, reported in various places, to have the Fed buy unsecured short term debt seems a textbook example of creating moral hazard:

Last night, the Fed was drawing up plans to set up a special fund that would buy short-term commercial paper. The purchases would benefit banks as well as non-financial companies.

The fund would be financed by a loan from the Fed, and any losses would probably be covered by the Treasury using its new $700 billion bailout package. Fed and Treasury lawyers were hammering out details last night.

Purchasing commercial paper through the new special entity would increase risks for the Treasury, and ultimately taxpayers, while potentially relieving companies of the downside risk of bad behavior, financial experts said. One senior U.S. bank executive said it was “like taking the fire sensors out of the building.”

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1 Response to Moral Hazard

  1. Mark T. Market says:

    Nassim Taleb spoke out in Davos about banks and the moral hazard of bailouts.

    He and Nouriel Roubini were both interviewed at CNBC recently, but soundbite journalists are incapable of handling their views sadly.

    Zimbabwe citizens know very well what kinds of horrors hyperinflation can bring, but this kind of phenomenon is considered remote from occuring elsewhere.

    Glenn Beck’s hockey stick makes me think again.

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