The Alchemists: Three Central Bankers and a World on Fire

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The Alchemists: Three Central Bankers and a World on Fire Page 54

by Neil Irwin


  9: Federal Reserve photo, Britt Leckman

  10: Federal Reserve photo, Britt Leckman

  11: Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images

  12: Bloomberg/Getty Images

  13: Bloomberg/Getty Images

  14: Pete Souza/Official White House photo

  15: AP Photo/Remy de la Mauviniere

  16: AP Photo/Virginia Mayo

  17: © European Central Bank, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

  18: © European Central Bank, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

  19: © European Central Bank, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

  20: AP Photo/Phillippe Wojazer, Pool, File

  21: John Stillwell/PA Wire

  22: AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Fred Chartrand

  23: AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Fred Chartrand

  24: Bloomberg/Getty Images

  25: © European Central Bank, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

  26: © European Central Bank, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

  27: © European Central Bank, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

  28: © European Central Bank, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

  29: © European Central Bank, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

  30: AP Photo/Ng Han Guan

  INDEX

  The page numbers in this index refer to the printed version of this book. To find the corresponding locations in the text of this digital version, please use the “search” function on your e-reader. Note that not all terms may be searchable.

  Ackermann, Josef, 314

  Ahamed, Liaquat, 164

  Akerlof, George, 96

  Alchemists, 24–25

  Aldrich, Nelson, 35–36, 42–44

  Aldrich-Vreeland Act (1908), 43

  Alvarez, Scott, 140, 193

  American International Group (AIG)

  bailout inquiry, 170–71, 177

  collapse and bailout of, 145–47

  Anglo Irish Bank, 294

  Asmussen, Jörg, 228, 290, 323, 380

  Assange, Julian, 250

  Asset Backed Commercial Paper Money Market Mutual Fund Liquidity Facility (AMLF), 150

  Audit the Fed, 175–76, 185–86, 193–94, 197

  Austerity programs. See Deficit reduction

  Auto industry bailout, 151

  Axelrod, David, 189

  Axilrod, Stephen, 64–65

  Bachmann, Michele, 170

  Bagehot, Walter, 10, 28–30

  Bagehot’s dictum, 33, 149

  Bailouts

  AIG, 145–47

  Bear Stearns, 133–34, 139

  Bernanke defense of, 170–71, 176–77, 181–82

  Bernanke/Geithner analysis for, 147–49

  in European crisis. See European Central Bank (ECB) remedies

  first, by Bank of England (1866), 27–28, 32–34

  historical basis of, 42

  postcrisis opposition to, 172–81

  Texas S&Ls (1980s), 79

  Wall Street crash (1929), 56

  Banca, 19

  Banca d’Italia

  head of. See Draghi, Mario

  political control of, 75

  Bank, origin of word, 19

  Bank failures

  Black Friday (1866), 10, 26–28

  Continental Illinois National Bank and Trust (1982), 179

  England (1866), 10, 26–28

  and financial crisis (2007–2012). See Investment bank failures

  Great Depression (1870s), 39–40

  and recessions, 3, 23, 33–34, 39–40, 42–43

  remedies. See Bailouts

  Stockholms Banco (1668), 17–18, 23–24

  Texas S&Ls (1980s), 79

  Bank for International Settlements (BIS), 59, 223–25

  Global Economy Meeting (2010), 223–32

  Banknotes

  history of, 20–21, 29

  value and national stability, 29–30

  Bank of Canada, 130, 153, 388

  eurozone interventions by, 349–50

  Bank of England

  Bank Rate cuts, 238–39

  creation of, 27

  eurozone interventions by, 349–50

  governors. See Carney, Mark; King, Marvyn; Norman, Montagu

  Great Depression actions, 55, 60

  imperialism, connection to, 10, 28–31

  inflation, differing views of, 252–53

  interest rate cuts (2009), 162–63

  under Labour, limited powers, 234–35, 237–38, 242

  location of, 30–31

  MPC, King leadership of, 123, 239

  MPC meetings, structure of, 239–40, 246

  Northern Rock PLC crisis and bailout, 125–28

  Osborne, new role proposed by, 247–48

  Panic of 1866 bailout by, 27–28, 32–34

  political independence, 121–22

  quantitative easing (2009), 238–41

  quantitative easing (QE2), 334–36, 340

  Soros/Druckenmiller and devaluation of pound, 72–74

  strong action, lack of, 138–39, 387–88

  value of pound sterling (1992), 72

  Bank of Greece, governor. See Provopoulos, George

  Bank of Japan, 86–94

  Bernanke on, 84–85, 88–89

  currency swaps with ECB (2011), 349–50

  Hayami as governor, 87, 89–92

  post–World War II power of, 86

  quantitative easing by, 90–91, 255

  zero-interest-rate policy, 87–88, 90–92

  Bank of the Estates of the Realm, 24

  Bank of the United States (1791), 37

  Banque de France, 55, 115

  Barclays, 154

  Barker, Kate, 7, 122, 243, 247, 250

  Barwell, Richard, 122

  Bastasin, Carlo, 316–17

  Bater, Jeff, 254

  Bean, Charles, 97, 124, 142, 240–41

  Bear Stearns

  bailout, 133–34, 139

  collapse of, 132–33

  Beck, Glenn, 256, 276

  Beer Hall Putsch, 52–53

  Benton, Thomas Hart, 38

  Bérégovoy, Pierre, 77

  Berlin Wall, end of, 76–77

  Berlusconi, Silvio

  bombastic remarks of, 223, 299, 319–20

  and ECB bailout conditions, 319–21, 346

  successor to. See Monti, Mario

  Bernanke, Ben

  background information, 7–8, 115–20

  beginning crisis, view of, 7–8, 128

  defends Fed actions during crisis, 170–71, 176–77, 181–82

  on financial accelerator, 7, 58, 119, 132

  financial crisis leadership. See Federal Reserve remedies

  on first day of crisis, 1, 4–6

  on global savings glut, 101–2

  goal-based Fed actions, statement on (2012), 385–87

  as Great Depression scholar, 7–8, 116, 119–20, 149–50

  Jackson Hole (2007), 111–12, 123–24

  Jackson Hole (2010), 265–66, 268

  Jackson Hole (2012), 384–85

  on Japanese economic decline (1990s), 84–85, 88–89

  nominal GDP targeting, interest in, 338–39

  -Obama relationship, 181, 183

  personal traits, 116–17, 118–19, 176, 200

  as “Person of the Year,” 151, 184

  public statement, first, 5–6

  and quantitative easing (QE2), 259–61, 264–76, 279–80

  reappointment (2010), 181–84, 189–93

  and TARP, 156–57, 160

  Teal Book, 262

  on tight money approach, 208–9

 
and tipping point theory, 267–68

  Besley, Tim, 162, 241

  Biddle, Nicholas, 37–39

  Bills of exchange, 31

  Bini Smaghi, Lorenzo, 293–94

  BIS. See Bank for International Settlements

  Black Friday (1866). See Panic of 1866 (England)

  Blackstone, Brian, 318

  Blair, Tony, 81–82

  Blanchard, Oliver, 116

  Blanchflower, David “Danny”

  on interest rate cuts, 162–63

  -King conflict, 123, 138–39, 239, 250–51

  Blankfein, Lloyd, 190

  Blinder, Alan, 91, 94, 97, 119

  BNP Paribas, crisis and bailout, 1–4, 111

  Bois, William, 26, 31

  Bonds

  ECB bond purchases. See Outright Money Transactions (OMT); Securities Markets Programme (SMP)

  federal, as war financing, 37

  government bonds, large-scale purchase. See Quantitative easing

  market, economic importance of, 370

  rating AAA as safe, 103

  Boxer, Barbara, 189

  Boyle, Andrew, 59

  Brainard, Lael, 346

  Bretton Woods (1944), 63

  Bridgewater Associates, 5

  Brown, Gordon, 82, 238, 242

  Brown, Scott, 188

  Buck, Pearl S., 51

  Bullard, James, 188, 265, 272, 385

  Bundesbank

  ECB actions, opposition to, 229–32, 351, 381–84

  ECB actions approved by, 231, 384

  on longer-term remedies (2011), 351

  as model for ECB, 77

  presidents. See Weber, Axl; Weidmann, Jens

  prohibitions of, 221–22

  public trust in, 75

  Bunning, Jim, 184

  Burns, Arthur, 11, 252

  bullied by Nixon, 63–65

  inflation, approach to, 63–67

  Cameron, David, 243, 251, 291

  Canada, central bank. See Bank of Canada

  Carney, Mark, 161

  as Bank of England governor, 388

  Carter, Jimmy, inflation, approach to, 67–71

  Central bank. See also banks under specific countries

  Bagehot influence on, 28, 33

  history of. See European banking history; U.S. banking history

  interventions and public resentment, 34, 70–71, 172–81, 278–80

  missteps by. See Central bank ineffectiveness

  power of, 8–11, 106–7

  war financing by, 37

  Central bankers

  annual meetings for, 12

  close relationship of, 12–13

  comments, impact on markets, 9

  multiple roles of, 235

  power of, 8, 91, 265

  Central bank ineffectiveness

  Bank of England passivity, 138–39, 387–88

  Bank of Japan economic boom, 86–87

  ECB errors and fiscal crisis, 135–37, 212–13, 303–5

  ECB and Greek bailout, 212–13

  financial panic as result, 31–32

  Franco-German Declaration, 291–92

  gold standard abandoned, Nixon era, 63–64

  and Great Depression, 11, 60–61, 84–85, 132

  housing bubble (2005), lack of understanding, 104–7

  and inflation (1970s), 63–67

  Ireland, bank guarantees, 283

  Reichsbank, paper money mass issuance (1914–1918), 47–53

  societal impact of, 11, 60–61

  Stockholms Banco rise and fall, 17–24

  Central Bank of Ireland, 284–85, 292

  China

  central bank. See People’s Bank of China

  economic issues, 375–76

  economic success of, 361

  during Great Moderation, 94–95

  paper money, origin of, 22

  Western collapse, impact on, 364–66

  Chirac, Jacques, and European unity negotiations, 81–82

  Chopra, Ajai, 283–84

  Civil War, 39

  Clay, Henry, 38

  Clearinghouses, first, 40

  Clegg, Nick, 247

  Clinton, Hillary, 189

  Coakley, Martha, 188

  Code Pink, 169–70

  Cœuré, Benôit, 380

  Cohen, Norma, 249

  Colson, Charles, 65

  Commercial paper, origin of, 31

  Commercial Paper Funding Facility, 150–51

  Commodity prices

  high, financial crisis (2007–), 134–35, 137

  increase, impact of, 65–66, 134–35

  Connally, John, 62

  Conservative Party, King alignment with, 235, 242–47

  Continental Illinois National Bank and Trust, 179

  Control theory, 367–68

  Conway, Edmund, 242

  Copper-based currency, 20–22

  Corker, Bob, 177, 190, 329

  Cowen, Brian, 294–95

  Coyne, Joe, 69

  Credit-Anstalt, 58

  Currency. See Dollar; Euro; Gold standard; Money

  Currency swaps

  by China, 371–72

  by Fed during crisis, 130, 153–55, 227, 229, 349–50

  Dale, Spencer, 241, 334

  Daler plates, 20

  Dalio, Raymond, 5

  Dallara, Charles, 312–15

  Darling, Alistair

  and eurozone bailout, 245

  on Irish bank guarantees, 158

  -King conflict, 121, 233–35, 238, 242

  and Mansion House speech, 233–35

  and Northern Rock crisis, 125–28

  Davis, Tom, 95–96

  Debt restructuring, Greece, 312–16

  Deficit reduction

  Great Britain, 237–38, 241–49

  Greece, 209–10, 286, 302, 353–54

  Ireland, 284–85, 294

  Italy, 319, 321–22, 346, 353

  Portugal, 220, 353

  as risk management, 242, 248–49

  state pay/pension cuts, 302–3, 309–10

  tight money approach, 208–9

  Deflation, Japan (1990s), 84–92

  De Grauwe, Paul, 80

  Delors, Jacques, 75

  DeMint, Jim, 191

  Democrats

  and Bernanke reappointment, 189, 189–91, 192

  unpopularity of (2010), 188–89

  Denmark, outside the eurozone, 77

  Depression. See also Great Depression

  Eurozone countries, 292, 303, 341, 389

  Great Depression (1870s), 39–40

  Deroose, Servaas, 285

  Dexia, 154, 159

  Dimon, Jamie, 190

  Dodd, Christopher, 173–74, 177, 197. See also Dodd-Frank Act

  as Bernanke supporter, 183–84

  Dodd-Frank Act, 194–200. See also U.S. financial reform

  emergency lending limits, 349

  original proposals, 185–88

  passage of, 199

  revisions to, 194–99

  Dollar

  gold standard abandoned, Nixon era, 62–64

  as single national currency, benefits of, 75

  Dombret, Andreas, 231, 323

  Donohue, Tom, 190

  Dorgan, Byron, 189

  Dornbusch, Rudiger, 78

  Dot-com bubble, 98, 149

  Draghi, Mario

  background information, 116, 300–301

  on coordination of remedies, 226–27

  diplomatic tasks of, 380, 382

  ECB selection as pr
esident, 300–301

  euro preservation, statement on, 358, 380–81

  first days at ECB, 342–44

  interest rate cuts (2011), 344, 352

  and Italy bailout, 319

  leadership style, 343–44

  Outright Money Transactions (OMT), 382–84

  policy change as emphasis of, 350, 355, 379–80

  positive steps by, 344, 350–53

  Weidmann opposition to policies, 381–84

  Druckenmiller, Stan, 72–74

  Dudley, Bill, 133, 140, 257, 263, 269–70, 275, 385

  global effort leadership, 152–53

  Duisenberg, Wim, 81–82

  Duke, Betsy, 264

  Duke, Elizabeth, 385

  Durbin, Dick, 190–91

  Economic Consequences of the Peace, The (Keynes), 49–50

  Economic crisis. See entries under Financial crisis

  Economic stability

  Great Moderation ingredients, 98

  Jackson Hole Consensus on, 98

  and low-risk premiums, 107

  Ehrlichman, John, 64–65

  Eichengreen, Barry, 79

  Elizabeth II, queen of England, 236

  Emanuel, Rahm, 172–73, 189

  Emigration, within U.S. versus Europe, 79

  Employment gains, goal-based Fed actions based on (2012), 385–87

  Employment losses. See Unemployment

  English, Bill, 265

  Euro

  establishment of, 75–77, 82–83

  Greek adoption of, 203

  nations on currency. See Eurozone

  value fixation (1999), 82

  Eurobonds, 228, 230, 323–24

  Europe

  European Union (EU), 78–80

  financial crises. See European financial crisis (2007–2012)

  history of banking in. See European banking history

  European banking history

  Bank for International Settlements (BIS), 59

  Bank of England, creation of, 27

  euro, launch of, 75–77, 82–83

  European Central Bank (ECB) established, 77, 81–82

  European Economic Community, 74–75

  first central bank (Sweden), 24

  Maastricht Treaty, 77

  Overend, Gurney & Co. collapse, 10, 26–34

  Panic of 1866 bailout, 27–28, 32–34

  Reichsbank, creation of, 47

  Stockholms Banco rise and fall, 17–24

  European Central Bank (ECB)

  Bundesbank as model for, 77

  chief economist. See Stark, Jürgen

  English as language of, 135–36

  establishment of, 77, 81–82

  first president, conflict over, 81–82

  Global Economy Meeting (2010), 223–32

  Governing Council meetings, 135–37

  location in Frankfurt, 81

  nationalist protests against, 297

 

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