Wednesday 27 November 2019

2019-27 Another risk to watch

This Bloomberg article discussess the worries of central bankers about one important consequence of low interest policies: risky behaviour by investors (investors here are understood, as in common language,  as people who buy stocks and bonds. Recall that, in economics, this is not considered investment: it is just a change in ownership.  We define investors as people who build new factories, machines, office buildings etc).
What is the issue: with low interest rates around the world, people are searching for return, and put insufficient weight on risk. Here are a few quotes from the aticle:
"A prolonged period of low rates could also “spur reach-for-yield behavior, thereby increasing the vulnerability of the financial sector to subsequent shocks,” .
The ECB -- whose own benchmark rate is below zero -- highlighted threats to investment funds, insurers and in some real-estate markets. It also had a warning that mispriced assets could face corrections in future.
At Germany’s Bundesbank, which has long warned of the dangers of too-loose policy, Vice President Claudia Buch says there’s an “underestimation of credit risk.”"

No comments:

Post a Comment