Best Financial Markets Analysis Article The Bank of England has both pumped hundreds of billions of tax payer cash into the bankrupt banking sector and cut interest rates to near zero (0.5%) to enable the banks to have funds available to lend out to the wider economy. However the banks instead of lending this money out are in effect sitting on tax payer cash with a view to earning interest on the money at the Bank of England which is illustrated by a sharp drop in the interbank rate towards the base rate as the following graph illustrates.

The gap between the base rate and the interbank rate having fallen from credit crisis extreme of 1.4% now stands at just 0.07% on face value this suggests a very healthy interbank market, unfortunately it hides the truth that in effect the Banks instead of lending the money out as would normally happen are in effect depositing as much as £160 billion with the Bank of England as excess reserves to earn risk free interest from which negates the Bank of England's money printing / Quantitative Easing programme that now stands at £175 billion.

The Banks have no incentive to lend the money out under the current artificial banking system as a consequence of tax payer bailouts. The bankster abuse of tax payer funds is not just limited to sitting on cash as when they do lend money it is far in excess of the interbank rate of 0.57%. In reality the real interest rate should vary between interbank rate plus 0.5% to 1%, depending on the customers credit rating. However the actual amount being charged to customers on the standard variable rates ranges from interbank rate PLUS 3% to 5%, far beyond that of how a competitive banking system operates as the below graph illustrates.

The UK Government, Bank of England, FSA and UK Treasury have a lot to answer for they have created a market for credit that in effect lets the banks systemically rob the tax payers and borrowers by charging interest rates that have no bearing on any conceivable normal banking market when one compares the rates charged against the rates borrowed at. It would have been far better for the banks to have been allowed to go bankrupt, restructured and then refloated as retail banks with a mandate to service retail customers without access to the interbank market, instead relying on customer deposits for funds. Instead the banks are operating on a business as usual basis with a view to maximising profits at both tax payer and borrower expense so as to enable huge bonuses to be paid out.

The Governor of the Bank of England, Mervyn King stepped out of this ivory tower recently to announce that he is not happy with the Bankster's for sitting on tax payer cash, which is a case of confirming that the authorities continue to have rings run around them by the bankster's.

“It is certainly true that it would be useful to think about ways to encourage banks individually to try to convert some of their reserves which would then reinforce the transmission mechanism of the direct assets purchases that we make.”

What this means is to force the banks to lend money out i.e. to take risks, the Bank of England may implement NEGATIVE interest rates for monies deposited as excess reserves at the BOE. Make no mistake about it, negative nominal interest rates would be a PANIC measure and be immediately reflected in a sharp drop in sterling.

However, the only option available to the British people to respond is to punish the inept, incompetent Labour government at the next general election for creating such a condition that allows the Bankster's to continue to rob the tax payers whilst the regulatory institutions drift from one panic measure to the next, all the while the unemployment count continues to rise as businesses are forced by the banks to go bust due to withdrawal of credit facilities.

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By Nadeem Walayat
http://www.marketoracle.co.uk

Nadeem Walayat has over 20 years experience of trading derivatives, portfolio management and analysing the financial markets, including one of few who both anticipated and Beat the 1987 Crash. Nadeem's forward looking analysis specialises on the housing market and interest rates. Nadeem is the Editor of The Market Oracle, a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication. We present in-depth analysis from over 400 experienced analysts on a range of views of the probable direction of the financial markets. Thus enabling our readers to arrive at an informed opinion on future market direction. http://www.marketoracle.co.uk

Disclaimer: The above is a matter of opinion provided for general information purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Information and analysis above are derived from sources and utilising methods believed to be reliable, but we cannot accept responsibility for any trading losses you may incur as a result of this analysis. Individuals should consult with their personal financial advisors before engaging in any trading activities.

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Comments

christian 23 Sep 09, 16:34	same thing bascially happening at the FED Thanks for reporting this.....since you are well read I had been shouting that paying interest on the reserves was very counter productive to kick start bank lending ESP. during a employment enviornment like this (with higher chance of rising defaults)...BUT THE GOAL was NEVER to kick start lending. The goal was to re-capitalize banks....to hellz with main-street. And now the big banks and their cronies are re-writing the banking reforms LOL.... rule 1. Thou shalt underfund any type of regulatory agency that lack conflict of interest (only a few left) rule 2. ......
hotairmail 24 Sep 09, 08:17	who's profiteering? Given the government is likely own 80%+ of RBS, c.45% of HBOS, 100% Northern Rock and BBBS - who is profiteering who? I suppose the government has to raise funds from somewhere. Now, all they have to do is ensure the employees don't siphon it off before the money reaches the shareholders.
Nadeem_Walayat 24 Sep 09, 08:51	Government Strategy The strategy is this - It give the banks a market that enables huge profit margins so that they are able to repay the government publically for political reasons. It is basically squeezing everyone else for political reasons. Imagine if your mortgage bank gave you as a borrower a BIG cheque every month to enable you to quickly re-pay your mortgage, that is what is going on with the banks. Someone pays for this and that is the tax payers!
colin evans 05 Oct 09, 15:58	bussiness sinking i am a small bussiness going under due to the banks taking our money to prop them up . but not helping with any lending .im in disbelief at the sad way the banks are treating good paying honest people. this is technichal murder of real peoples lives something needs sorting out asap the actions of these people is wrong

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