Financial institutions are on the brink of panic, striving to manipulate regulations to prevent their collapse. This isn’t mere speculation; take New York Community Bank’s recent turmoil as a prime example, hinting at potential bank failures in 2024.
Just recently, there’s been an attempt to introduce a new regulation concerning derivatives. These financial instruments, notorious for their role in the 2008 financial crisis, represent speculative bets in the stock market with the potential for exponential gains or losses. The excessive leverage and speculation allowed by derivatives pose a significant threat to the entire economy’s stability. The Dodd-Frank Act, signed by President Obama, aimed to overhaul financial regulation and mitigate such risks by increasing transparency and oversight in the derivatives market.
President Obama confidently asserted the effectiveness of Dodd-Frank, challenging the narrative that the financial crisis led to no substantial regulatory changes. He envisioned a derivatives market under strict regulation, traded openly to prevent unseen risks. However, the reality diverges starkly from this promise. JPMorgan Chase, for example, is reported to hold $58 trillion in derivatives, surpassing the combined GDP of the world’s largest economies, excluding the United States.
Despite assurances of safety and regulation, the vast majority of JPMorgan’s derivatives trades occur over-the-counter, in unregulated, dark markets. This practice is not unique to JPMorgan but is prevalent across major banks, contradicting the intended reforms of Dodd-Frank.
The latest proposed regulation aims to exempt banks from margin calls during periods of market volatility, underlining a systemic aversion to accountability. This exemption would allow banks to maintain risky positions without the necessary collateral, exposing the financial system to heightened risk during turbulent times.
This initiative is justified by referencing the GameStop volatility as a case for relaxing margin requirements, a move that blatantly benefits major financial players at the expense of market stability. The underlying concern is counterparty risk, where the interconnectedness of derivative bets could lead to a domino effect of financial distress if one party defaults.
The saga of Bill Hwang and Archegos Capital Management illustrates the peril of unregulated over-the-counter derivatives trading and its potential to precipitate the collapse of major financial institutions, such as Credit Suisse. This incident underscores the fragility of the current financial system, heavily reliant on the solvency of its major players.
The push for regulatory leniency in the face of expected market volatility reveals a grim anticipation of financial instability, signaling that the interests of the banking sector continue to dictate regulatory policies at the expense of economic security and fairness. This scenario underscores a systemic prioritization of banking interests over public welfare, highlighting the entrenched influence of financial institutions on policy-making and the precarious foundation of our global financial system.
When Trump gave the most de-globalized U.N. speech in decades (2018), it was a big deal and paved the way to Americans exiting the Middle East, which continues to this day.
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