| 查看: 516 | 回复: 2 | |||
gongtianyu铁杆木虫 (正式写手)
|
[交流]
Europe’s Central Bank at Sea
|
|
Central bank purists are confused. How can the European Central Bank, a Germanic institution, now be in the business of buying government bonds issued by five of its 17 members? Why is this monetary authority acting like a fiscal agency? Isn’t the ECB supposed to be a politically independent and operationally autonomous institution committed to fighting inflation and safeguarding the currency? Well, yes and no. And that answer speaks to the disturbing realities of modern-day central banking (or, to be more exact, central banking in the post-bubble world of debt overhangs and sovereign-debt concerns). It also sheds light on the endgame now taking shape in a confused and unsettled eurozone. A sea-faring analogy simplifies some of the complexity. Imagine that a highly agile coast-guard vessel is called out to rescue a floundering boat. As the rescue is taking place, the vessel finds that it must also rescue two other, larger boats. It does so, but not before the captain receives assurances that a larger ship is coming to assist. As the crew of the now-burdened rescue vessel waits for relief, they are forced to deal with restless passengers. With the ocean getting rougher, the once-agile rescue vessel is now so overburdened that some officers are second-guessing the captain, who again calls for the larger ship to help. Unfortunately, this ship seems hostage to a confused sense of mission and a distinct lack of urgency. The overwhelming hope is that the larger ship will come and save the day. The fear is that it may not. And the question then becomes whether the crew of the struggling rescue vessel will decide that they can stabilize the situation only through a once-unthinkable action – throwing someone overboard to lighten the vessel and save the rest. In a nutshell, this is the ECB’s situation today. The outcome is both uncertain and highly consequential – for Europe, of course, but also for a global economy that is in the midst of a synchronized slowdown and operating with a weakened anchor, owing to America’s recent debt-ceiling debacle and the humiliating loss of its AAA sovereign credit rating. The ECB has already purchased almost a |
回复此楼» 猜你喜欢
材料与化工304求B区调剂
已经有7人回复
-
0703化学336分求调剂
已经有4人回复
-
[复试调剂]西南科技大学国防/材料导师推荐
已经有6人回复
-
化学工程321分求调剂
已经有12人回复
-
211本，11408一志愿中科院277分，曾在中科院自动化所实习
已经有4人回复
-
材料专硕326求调剂
已经有5人回复
-
东南大学364求调剂
已经有5人回复
-
国自科面上基金字体
已经有7人回复
-
药学383 求调剂
已经有4人回复
-
286求调剂
已经有5人回复
★
小木虫(沙发+1，金币+0.5):恭喜抢个沙发，再给个红包
小木虫(沙发+1，金币+0.5):恭喜抢个沙发，再给个红包
 |
2楼2011-08-24 23:47:33
凌宇雷池
超级版主 (文学泰斗)
小木虫科研大使\(^o^)/~
- ESEPI: 2
- 应助: 758 (博后)
- 贵宾: 161.794
- 金币: 301036
- 散金: 91930
- 红花: 1119
- 沙发: 3434
- 帖子: 93038
- 在线: 54848.9小时
- 虫号: 659100
- 注册: 2008-11-21
- 性别: GG
- 专业: 生物化学
- 管辖: 科研生活区
3楼2011-08-24 23:52:27
