A Capital-less Financial System

Here’s a sample of a fascinating article from Ricardo Caballero at the Financial Times Economists Forum:

Forcing institutions to raise capital, be it private or public, at panic-driven fire sale prices threatens enormous dilutions to already shell-shocked shareholders, further exacerbating uncertainty and fuelling the downward spiral. This is self-defeating.
The question then is whether it is feasible to run a (nearly) capital-less financial system until panic subsides. If it is, then a solution to the financial crisis is in sight since it would free up trillions of dollars of hard to raise funds, covering more than even the most extreme estimate of losses.
I believe it is feasible to run such a system for a while, because, essentially, distressed financial institutions need (regulatory) capital for two basic purposes: To act as a buffer for negative shocks, and to reduce their risk-shifting incentives by exposing them to their losses.
However these two functions can be replaced, respectively, by the provision of a comprehensive public insurance, and by strict (and intrusive) government supervision while this insurance is in place.
A few days ago the UK announced a policy package that almost got it right, by pledging to insure banks’ balance sheets and other private liabilities.
Unfortunately, it backfired and caused a worldwide run on financials because it did not dissipate, and even exacerbated, the fear of forced capital raising (or nationalisation).
The events following Lehman’s demise should have taught us that this fear needs to be put to rest until we can return to normality. Financial institutions are too intertwined to predict with any precision the impact of diluting any significant stakeholder, and the markets are too fearful to feed them more uncertainty. Strong guarantees with strict supervision, and the commitment of no further capital injections at fire sale prices (directly or through convertible bonds) should go a long way in building a foundation for a sustained recovery.

Posted by on January 26th, 2009 at 12:19 pm


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