Tuesday, July 26, 2016

We Can't Borrow From the Future Anymore

While everyone was talking about Brexit last month, the Bank for International Settlements released its 86th annual report.

Based in Basel, Switzerland, the BIS functions as a master hub for all the world’s central banks. It settles transactions among central banks and other international organizations. It doesn’t serve private individuals, businesses, or national governments.

Because it is relatively free from political considerations, the BIS can speak about economic issues more directly than its member central banks can. And its candor has grown steadily in recent years.

When central bankers like Janet Yellen or Mario Draghi speak, we have to discount their statements because they have policy agendas to promote. While the BIS has an agenda, too, the bank isn’t tied to any particular economy or government. Its analysts are paying attention to how the world functions in toto.

So let’s dig into the BIS annual report, parse how its views differ from everyone else’s, and discuss why we are all feeling considerable angst about the future.

The world's central banks are making a big mistake

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