How can liquidity dry up when you can create "money" out of thin air? Until of course the sheep reject the money. Do you not understand that DEBT is necessary, until it comes time to pay it. Then the magic is: It is paid back by increasing debt. This is very, very scary stuff. Its the ultimate sleight of hand. Creating money out of debt.
When Genius Failed was a interesting book not because of the spectacular blowup of genuis, but for the behind the scenes peeks of the action of the banks.
Here is a quick illustration.
Take the war in Iraq. I am not commenting on the politics of the war.
Where does the financing come from?
If you want to finance a new porch for your backyard. What do you do?
You calculate what is required: Labor, materials, savings, bank loan etc.
You can only: pay cash, save for the cost, finance it, get a better job that pays more by increasing your marketable skills. I suppose you could barter with someone who needed a good or service you could provide but lets remain in the real world. But the one thing you cannot do is give someone a letter of credit that is worthless. But the central banks/govt can.
You go to the bank. Get a loan (just like for a car, house etc) Your loan is secured by collateral, your credit history, etc, etc.
All basic stuff.
But, what happens when the money supply is increased and their is no savings, no corresponding increase in GDP productivity?
Foreigners!
And when they are exhausted?
And then THAT money comes home to roost, and is lent out. Then the interest on that interest is lent out. It is backed by nothing except Greenspan and a man with a M-16 telling you that you must accept the currency. Their currency.
This is getting long so let me paraphrase...
Money is no longer limited by the natural forces of supply and demand. It is easier for people and by extension countries to go into debt than it is for them to say mine gold or figure out a way to sew more suits and thus really increase the money supply by their production of their efforts. Inflation, or more accurately devaluing of the currency is mitigated by real effort. It is offset.
This is why the gold standard was obliterated. To tax you into extinction by over time increasing the money supply with no corresponding increase in your(or a countries)gdp. This is cleverly called "inflation" by the world banks and their govt partners. But is in reality a confiscation of your working life.
This also why social programs will never be cut until they collaspe. There is no constraint. Especially when votes are at stake. This is hand and glove stuff. And why/how wars can be financed when no bank on earth would provide them financing when they have no collateral. It's simply a transfer of wealth, real wealth by manipulation of fiat currency.
Read Exodus. When Pharoh put Joseph in charge to deal with the 7 years of famine after 7 years of plenty. First the people sold off their livestock, then their kids, then themselves into slavery. But Pharoh did quite well.
Exact same concept. Except now it is civilized with terms like "credit" and slogans like "we can finance anybody" or "we can afford war"
Indefinitely?
Quote from 1000:
Aok, I thought that liquidity was dried up by the Fed selling cfd's to brokers, and thus they were able to mop up excess capital by holding on to the cash at higher interest.
So, this would suggest that there is money at work with a growing economy + worker productivity.
And Helicopter Ben did say that Helicopter stuff, which I thought meant that they would buy back what they had sold, so no one would get caught with the short straw. Thus also taking care of inflation.
This suggests a system of checks and balances, and probably not what you are suggesting, which sounds inflationary?