Tuesday, November 4, 2014

If children are evaluated better for safe piano playing than for risky sports, could that lead to a weaker society?

I ask that because, with respect to our banks, with their credit risk weighted equity requirements, bank regulators are giving banks much more incentives to dedicate themselves to financing what is ex ante perceived as absolutely safe, usually the past, than to explore the financing of what is perceived as risky, usually the future… and I have absolutely no doubt that a weaker and less sturdy real economy must result.

Current regulators looking to castrate of at least to de-testosterone our banks, have no idea what dangers they are creating for our economy and our society.

We need bank regulators to stop discriminating against the fair access to bank credit of those ex ante perceived as "risky", like the medium and small businesses, the entrepreneurs and start-ups.

We need bank regulators to stop favoring the access to bank credit of those perceived as "safe", like the "infallible" sovereigns, the house buyers and the members of the AAAristocracy.

And we need our banks to have more equity... not to make them less risky... but to allow them take more risks.