This:
Coming soon to the USA...fuckers
Originally Posted by IIFFOFRDB
Was answered by this:
Already has... Inflation etc
Originally Posted by SEE3772
That hits upon a point that has (mostly) been ignored by the media, although a number of people in finance have noted it.
With enduring ZIRP and QE (as well as other actions), policymakers have suppressed interest rates across the entire yield curve. Normally, such actions are considered "emergency" measures, but they've been left in place for years -- and with no end in sight. The fear is that the markets and the economy would quickly begin sinking again without continuing the unprecedented levels of monetary policy accommodation.
This is very bad for savers and retirees who can barely earn more than zero on bank deposit interest and CDs. In "normal" times, interest income more or less keeps up with inflation for people who aren't in high tax brackets. But ultra-easy monetary policy is great for the biggest of the big players, who can still speculate with almost free money. It's also good for the largest corporations that do a lot of exporting and offshoring. For smaller U.S. businesses, not so much. (For one thing, they can't get credit on similar terms.)
Big players are still free to play "heads we win, tails stockholders (or ultimately, in some cases, taxpayers) lose games with other people's money. Just look at what happened recently to JPM. Google "Boaz Weinstein" if you'd like to read some interesting stuff. For instance:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/27/bu...anted=all&_r=0
If you think the Dodd-Frank financial "reform" legislation did much to reduce this sort of activity, or the risks associated with TBTF, you'd better look again. It's little more than just another "crony capitalism shuffle."
Many forms of what we refer to as "financial repression" really act as just a type of stealth tax.