PROUT

PROUT
For a More Progressively Evolving Society
Showing posts with label banks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label banks. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Warning: Federal Reserve Prepares For Financial Collapse by Restricting Mega Banks


Learn about PROUT's Rational Banking System HERE

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Guest article  


Susanne Posel
OccupyCorporatism.com
July 3, 2013

The Federal Reserve has implemented new standards called “Base III accord” which is being sold to the public as a means to cushion the banks against expected “severe economic downturns”.  
This is part of stricter capital regulations that will facilitate long-term changes in a global effort to prop-up global financial institutions.  
The Fed has calculated assets and risks.  Their answer is to severely restrict lending.
Ben Bernanke, chair of the Federal Reserve, released a statement:  “With these revisions to our capital rules, banking organizations will be better able to withstand periods of financial stress, thus contributing to the overall health of the U.S. economy.”  
Bernanke expects that 100 banks will have to raise $4.5 billion in capital by 2019.  
He said:  “This framework requires banking organizations to hold more and higher quality capital, which acts as a financial cushion to absorb losses, while reducing the incentive for firms to take excessive risks.”  
Outlined in the rules, mortgages are considered too complex and therefore their application in the financial scheme would need to be limited.  
This means that local, regional and community banks will have to downscale their lending practices.  
The international agreement Bernanke alluded to is touted as a way to prevent another financial crisis, as was seen in 2008.  
Expected to be implemented by fall of 2013, the largest technocratic institutions are being directed to “downsize” which is being seen as a possible threat to the US economy – and eventually to the global financial market.  
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp (FDIC), the Office of the Comptroller for the Currency (OCC) and the Fed’s Board of Governors (FBG) will give their approval to this new set of rules later this week.  
Essentially, assets within the banking sector are estimated at 95% with less than $10 billion accounted for.  All banks must meet the Fed’s new rules to show 4.5% of assets in high-quality capital such as common stock and retained earnings.  
Frank Keating, head of the American Bankers Association (ABA) believes that real-world application of these rules will tell if they are effective or if more “tweaking” is needed to meet international standards within the domestic US.  
Coryann Stefansson, managing director for Price Waterhouse Coopers, said :  “We’re in the first few chapters of a horror story for the big banks, with the worst to come.  It’s clear that the U.S. is willing to push for stronger capital.”  
The banks identified as propping up the system are:  
• Bank of America
• Citigroup
• Morgan Stanley
• State Street Corp
• Bank of New York Mellon  
The Bank of International Settlements (BIS) and the Basel Committee on Banking Supervisors (BCBS) has applied the underlying pressure on US banks to liquidate to appease global markets.  
The American taxpayer is picking up the tab for this turn of events.  
BIS is giving these banks until 2019 to comply with their new rules.  Capital to prop up the banks will be needed while they liquidate assets such as bonds, mortgages, loans and stock shares.  
Consequences of the liquidation have been evidenced in governmental austerity and movement toward sovereign debt by the technocrats.  Any asset assessed by Basel can and is being used as collateral of the banksters in an anything goes temperament while the squandering of wealth continues.  
BIS has used the scheme of forcing capital from the banks to control the measures taken globally.  International banking constraints mandated in these new rules are putting more control into the hands of “shadow banks” where supervision is unheard of.  
Michel Barnier, commissioner of BIS, stated that the Basel Committee has “revised liquidity coverage ratio and the gradual approach for its phasing-in by clearly defined dates.  
This is significant progress which addresses issues already raised by the European Commission.  We now need to make full use of the observation period, and learn from the reports that the European Banking Authority will prepare on the results of the observation period, before formally implementing in 2015 the liquidity coverage ratio under EU law in line with the Basel standards.”  
Liquidity is seen by the technocrats as a necessity for “the stability of banks as well as for their role in supporting wider economic recovery.”  
At a time when the introduction of a global currency to replace all fiat across the globe is at hand, it makes perfect sense that the technocrats are positioning themselves to control the central banks as offshoot branches of their operation.  At the head of this monster, the BIS sets the tone and directs the banksters with limitations and orders.  
The European Central Bank (ECB) is setting the stage of a complete financial collapse of fiat currencies across the globe.  Joining in the scheme are other technocratic institutions such as the Federal Reserve, the Bank of Canada, the Bank of England, the Bank of Japan and the Swiss National Bank.  
Under the guise of preventing a system failure during the global financial crisis, there will be “an extension of the existing temporary US dollar liquidity swap arrangements until February 1, 2014.”  
This action allows the central bankers to liquidate currencies under their jurisdiction “should market conditions so warrant.”  
Under this plan, euros backed by nothing can continue to pour into the system throughout the Eurozone “in addition to the existing liquidity-providing operations” in the US.  This liquidation will take place “until further notice.”  
This article originally appeared HERE, written and published by a fan of Representative Ron Paul.  All guest articles are the opinions of their authors, posting them here is not necessarily an endorsement of their information, perspective, values or beliefs.  

Political Democracy can and will be fortuitous
when Economic Democracy is established.  

Explore this and other articles covering alternative economics, ethical leadership, economic democracy, and a society without the weal and woe of social and economic vicissitudes HERE  
How does PROUT compare or contrast with capitalism or communism?  Explore the answers HERE
What are essential ingredients assuring progressive sustainability bereft of the vicissitudes of economic or political predation, privation or disparity?  Learn more HERE



Wednesday, May 22, 2013

PROUT’s Rational Banking System


PROUTist Economics

guest article

Cooperatives

By Trond Overland


Modern banking emerged during the Italian Renaissance.  The idea behind it was ancient:  To make money out of lending money.  

The present situation

Today the money lender has become the master of all trades; giant banks control everything under the sun.  Do they work in the interests of the people?  The answer is a resounding "No!"  
The main reason for the continuing recessions and depressions all over the world today is that vast deposits of money are not being released to those who require resources.  In the words of P.R. Sarkar, “the intrinsic demonic greed of banks has been allowed to jeopardize the life of common people.”(1)  
“Banks must not allow unwise administrators or governments to print monetary notes indiscriminately without reserving the proportionate amount of bullion in their treasuries.  It destroys the very life of society.  It leads to widespread inflation, which in turn jeopardizes internal trade and commerce as well as foreign trade and barter.  Even if there is abundant production in a country, the common people do not benefit from it.  The rich become richer and get more scope to continue their merciless exploitation.”(2)  

PROUT’s Proposals

Basically, money is a means of exchange.  For instance, if you have something that I require I may spend money in order to get it from you.  
I could also offer you something other than money that may be of interest to you.  Exchange of something other than money, such as goods and services, is called barter trade.  
A micro-economic example of barter trade:  I paint your house, you do my accounts.
A macro-economic example:  Bangladesh exchanges jute and hide exports for food imports.  
It may be noted here that barter trade excels under certain conditions.  On one hand, barter between countries works best at present between industrially underdeveloped – financially poor – countries with a large surplus of raw materials.  As they have no means to invest in refining industries under the present global exploitative regime, they should exchange raw materials in order to procure minimum necessities.  
On the other hand, the exchange of services between private persons would work very well where no government tax is levied on private income.  The abolition of income tax will to a great extent remove the problem of black money and bring about a welcome moral change in the population.  
Global capitalism does not encourage barter trade but wants to retain all trade within its exploitative speculative dollar-based paradigm.  PROUT encourages both types of purchase – using money or by barter – wherever they may serve people’s needs.(3)  

Money value increases with mobility

Money is not meant for piling up purchasing capacity but for paying expenses.  Spending money is the natural thing to do; accumulation is unnatural to the point where it becomes a mental disease.  Macro-economically, the accumulation of money is a dangerous socio-economic course to the point where it leads to large-scale depression; where we are today.  
The more money changes hands, the greater is its economic value.  The value of money increases with its mobility.  The motivation of PROUT’s banking system is therefore to keep money rolling.  
Apart from seeing to it that money is kept in circulation, banks should not act on their own behalf and turn into huge profit-making machines.  They should instead serve their community and remain directly associated with particular productive local endeavors.  

An economy of the people, not of banks

This is a natural idea:  Whenever people join in some productive effort they will soon need somewhere to deposit their earnings, a place where they can administer their common economy.  If no suitable means for deposit exists, the natural thing for them to do would be to form a cooperative bank themselves.  
People may need to borrow, as well, for both individual and collective needs.  PROUT’s cooperative banks will serve as both savings and lending institutions.  A cooperative bank may take a large loan from another bank or the government to purchase modern equipment and construct dams, barrages and shift or lift irrigation facilities to increase production, etc.(4)  
Under PROUT the banking system will have to be managed by cooperatives.(5) Only the government-controlled central or federal bank should have a greater reach by way of guaranteeing the currency.  
In conclusion, the mission of banks under PROUT is to keep money in motion and not become stagnant pools of personal wealth.  PROUT’s banks are non-profit cooperative organizations where ideally the balance is zero after all expenses are met.  

The Gold Standard

Financial circumstances are changing fast.  For instance, the last vestiges of the gold standard were thrown out by the Nixon administration some 40 years ago, and the gold standard has been ridiculed ever since.  The reason for this undue mudslinging is that pinning a currency to gold (“gold standard”) does not allow for free speculation.  
Today, as the global speculative system is in chaos and about to end in catastrophe, the gold standard is staged to make a return.  The price of gold has already risen phenomenally.  This proves that people in general accept gold as a basic guarantee for financial stability.  
PROUT supports the gold standard.  The main role of the central bank should be to guarantee the currency in measures of physical gold held by that bank.  Central banks must be ready to pay citizens the amount of gold represented by the currency.  This is the proper hedge against large-scale inflation.  The gold-standard protects against speculative bubbles.  

Psychology

The gold standard is more a question of psychology than physicality.  People view gold as the most precious commonly available thing.  
In the same way, the entire field of socio-economy is about physicality as well as psychology.  For instance, the present financial system is ridden by greed.  From a collective perspective the problem of unbridled greed is first a physical one, then a psychological one.  
First society has to find ways and means to stop and control the disease in a physical way.  Thereafter, when no one suffers anymore at the hands of greedy exploiters, society will be free to think about how to cure their mental disease.  
No one should be oppressed or suppressed.  Everybody should be allowed to realize their potentialities and attain their goals in life and thereby learn to utilize all sorts of resources to a maximum.  
At present the world of banking is dominated by all-devouring colossuses that crave to be fed by public money first thing in the morning (by way of “quantitative easing”) in order to continue their existence as masters of global trade.  
In contrast, PROUT’s banking system presents a rational human approach to supplying money wherever and whenever it is needed and required.  
The mission of PROUT as a whole is to pave the way for a society where people can express their true self.  Only a socio-economic system that allows and supports people’s all-round needs, interests and dreams can be termed as truly progressive.  

Notes

(1) “Keep Money Rolling – Excerpt B”, P.R. Sarkar, 1986.  Published in PROUT in a Nutshell Volume 3, and in Proutist Economics.  Ananda Marga Publications.  Web:  proutglobe.org/2011/05/quadri-dimensional-economy
(2) “Economic Dynamics”, P.R. Sarkar.  Published in A Few Problems Solved Part 9, in PROUT in a Nutshell Part 13, and in Proutist Economics.  Ananda Marga Publications.  Web:  proutglobe.org/2011/05/economic-dynamics
(3) “Trade for Regional Self-Reliance”, Dr. Michael Towsey.  Web:  proutglobe.org/2011/09/trade-for-regional-self-reliance
“Cooperative Production – Excerpt B”, P.R. Sarkar.  Published in PROUT in a Nutshell Part 14 and inProutist Economics.
(4) “Some Specialities of PROUT’s Economic System”, P.R. Sarkar.  Published in A Few Problems SolvedPart 9, PROUT in a Nutshell Volume 3, and in Proutist Economics.  Ananda Marga Publications.  Web:  proutglobe.org/2011/06/some-specialities-of-prouts-economic-system
(5) “Economic Dynamics”, op.cit.  
Copyright The author 2012  

Explore this and other articles covering alternative economics, ethical leadership, economic democracy, and a society without the weal and woe of social and economic vicissitudes HERE
How does PROUT compare or contrast with capitalism or communism?  Explore the answers HERE

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Why: Iceland's Strong Economic Recovery after Complete Financial Collapse in 2008


By Martin Zeis for Global Research 

Iceland’s President Olafur Ragnar Grimmson was interviewed over the weekend (26./27.01.2013) at the World Economic Forum in Davos on why Iceland has enjoyed such a strong recovery after it’s complete financial collapse in 2008, while the rest of the Western world struggles with a recovery that has no clothes.

Grimsson gave a famous reply to the financial MSM reporter, stating that Iceland’s recovery was due to the following primary reason:
„… We were wise enough not to follow the traditional prevailing orthodoxies of the Western financial world in the last 30 years. We introduced currency controls, we let the banks fail, we provided support for the poor, and we didn’t introduce austerity measures like you’re seeing here in Europe. …“

When asked whether Iceland’s policy of letting the banks fail would have worked in the rest of Europe, Grimsson replied:
„… Why are the banks considered to be the holy churches of the modern economy? Why are private banks not like airlines and tele-communication companies and allowed to go bankrupt if they have been run in an irresponsible way? The theory that you have to bail-out banks is a theory that you allow bankers enjoy for their own profit their success, and then let ordinary people bear their failure through taxes and austerity. 
People in enlightened democracies are not going to accept that in the long run. …“
Whole interview with Grimmson (02:56 min):
This article originally appeared here