Are Banks Borrowing from the Fed at Low Interest and Making Money Buying U.S. Treasuries?
Paul Solman: They have been doing just that, though of late it’s more that, thanks to the Fed, they’re borrowing from the capital markets — short-term — and lending longer-term to the U.S. Treasury. We
reported this awhile agoourselves.
What’s happening is this: The Fed is keeping short-term interest rates low and implicitly insuring that TBTF (too big to fail) banks will never F. (After Tweeting irregularly for a year or so, I’m tempted to change the shorthand to 2B2F.).
As a result of the Fed’s negligible short-term rates and implicit insurance, the B banks can borrow in the global capital markets at near-zero cost, short term. They can then take that money and buy Treasuries – i.e., lend the money to the U.S. government.
But remember, the banks are taking a risk, even lending to the Treasury. It’s the risk banks always take when they borrow short and lend long. If short-term interest rates suddenly spurt, so does their cost of money, money which they must constantly raise, since it’s short-term. Meanwhile, the banks are stuck with their long-term loans, precisely because they are LONG-term.
But......but .....but..........but what if interest rates rise.......and the Too big to Fail fail again..........but .....but ........but what if the United States can't pay the interest on the loans.........but ........but .........but.......
They get money out the back door and make money at the front door..........
All the while...........the politicians do this.