by Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

Query by Luke A.: best suggestions for economic reform right here ideal answerers club?

Greatest answer:

Answer by vvswarup
– First of all, investment banks and commercial banks need to be split once more. A lot of what we saw before this crisis unfolded is related to what was going on in the years leading up to the Fantastic Depression. One of these items was that investment banks and industrial banks have been in bed with every other when they shouldn’t have been. Investment banks do investment-associated activities such as underwriting securities. They deal mainly with institutional consumers such as organizations. Commercial banks do issues such as giving out loans. Nevertheless, prior to the Excellent Depression hit, commercial banks and investment banks were dabbling in each and every other’s activities. Prior to this monetary crisis unfolded, the very same point occurred. Selling mortgage-backed securities on the open market was once the exclusive purview of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Nonetheless, banks wanted in on the action. In response the Excellent Depression, the Glass-Steagall Act created a wall of separation among investment banks and commercial banks. In 1999, this Act was repealed so banks could get in on securitization.

– Next, Repo 105 need to be abolished. Repo 105 is an obscure accounting rule that allows businesses to hide leverage (debt) from their balance sheet by passing it over to a shadow firm. Lehman Brothers had enormous amounts of leverage but dressed up their balance sheet by using Repo 105 to hide it. This balance sheet was utilised to entice shareholders. Firms need to not be able to do this.

– The government bailed out certain monetary institutions due to the fact they have been “also massive to fail.” The government should have a way of preventing economic institutions from acquiring “too big” in the 1st place.

Finally, as significantly as government reform is required, a cultural reform is required also. In the years top up to the financial crisis, huge-name financial institutions like Goldman Sachs became nicely-identified for gargantuan bonuses. If an employee could do something to make brief-term income skyrocket, they got a massive bonus. At times, this was completed without having thinking about the extended-term impact. Economic institutions require to cease encouraging this behavior. Not each and every good company selection will outcome in huge short-term profits. Often, the worth of a selection will be realized later on. Economic institutions ought to understand this reality and encourage this or else they will be rewarding employees who put the firm in jeopardy all since of chasing right after a big quick-term profit.

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