QUESTION: Mr. Armstrong; Reading between the lines, it seems that you support bank bailouts at taxpayer expense. Is this not counter to free market philosophy?

KE

ANSWER: Yes it is contrary to free market philosophy. However, it is the only reasonable solution at this moment in time without structural reforms to the financial system. If we accept the bail-in that Europe just did in Spain selling the bank for one euro, the reality of that decision compels me to advise clients NOT TO OWN any bank shares. Seizing a bank and auctioning it off for one euro when its value, if liquidated, would have been significantly higher is in itself anti-free market.

The bailout conducted by the Fed was absurd. The theory that they just lend money to banks when in trouble is seriously flawed under the current system. Bill Clinton repealed Glass-Steagall and in doing so he seriously altered the banking system completely. The 1007 crash took place because banks no longer engage in relationship banking but have flipped everything to transactional banking. They make the loan, package it into a security, and then sell it off. The banks say this makes them stronger. Fine, I accept that principle. But then handing bankers trillions to “stimulate” the economy failed because they did not lend the money out and parked it at the Fed in excess reserves. They stopped securitizing debt and would not lend because of risk.

The problem is how our government operates. If they are trying to “stimulate” the economy then they need to cut taxes. You must put money directly into the hands of the people – not the banks who do not lend to the average person. This is why quantitative easing has failed. Mario Draghi needs to get out and really see how the economy functions live.

Under the current terms of the bail-in, I must advise clients to sell bank shares and stay with industrial shares. You can flip the coin. Both sides are anti-free market.

I reported previously that the European Commission is seeking to take the clearing of the Euro derivative transactions from London and move them to Paris. The European Central Bank (ECB) is warning that it must secure strong access rights for the supervision of the cross-border settlement of financial transactions after the departure of Great Britain from the EU. About 90%+ of all euro derivatives transactions are settled via clearing houses in London such as LCH.Clearnet. In the middle of a crisis, the ECB would have no power to shut the market to protect the euro from the free market forces. Of course, what they fail to grasp here is trying to seize the euro clearing and move it by decree to Paris will only undermine the euro even more. What will they do next? Forbid the euro to trade in New York, Chicago, or Asia? Do that and the euro will become a massive short.

The ECB actually came clean and the papers filed at the Commission seems to suggest that the central bank indeed expects the possibility of a very major and serious financial crises ahead. That reflects what I have been warning about that they are trapped. Once Draghi stops buying government debt, we may see a meltdown in the euro altogether. The ECB wrote: “It is to be expected that significant developments on both the global and the European level will increase the risks posed by clearing systems.”

Keep in mind that the European Commission has already outlawed naked short-selling of the sovereign debt and European shares. The ECB is now focusing on clearing houses of financial products to control any emergency they see against the euro.  Mario Draghi has been ringing the warning bell that they would have at best minor oversight of the UK-based clearing houses after a BREXIT. He believes they can simply muscle the markets to prevent a collapse.

The ECB estimates that repo transactions denominated in euro in the daily volume of €101 billion and open positions in interest rate swaps in euro reach daily trading volume of €33 trillion are cleared through clearing houses in Great Britain. Draghi has proposed that Article 22 of the ESCB Statute be amended in such a way that, even after the BREXIT, they still have sufficient control rights over euro clearing. Draghi wants it both ways. He wants the euro to be a world class currency, but then wants absolute control to shut down any undesirable counter trends.