The logic of Irish Government's policy on the banking crisis:
Fallacy 1:
Government Position: Irish Government claims that it is protecting and shoring up Irish banks so they can start lending into the economy.
Irish Banks Position: jack up variable mortgages rates, thus taking money out of the economy.
Fallacy 2:
Government Position: Irish 'savings rate is irrationally high' so we must reduce the rate of savings to incentivise demand.
Irish Banks Response: jack up variable mortgages rates, thus reducing domestic demand.
Fallacy 3:
Government Position: Mortgages crisis must be dealt with while protecting family homes, where feasible.
Irish Banks Response: jack up variable mortgages rates, thus making homeownership less sustainable for many financially stressed homeowners.
Fallacy 4:
Government Position: Strategic defaults must be avoided.
Irish Banks Response: jack up variable mortgages rates, thus incentivising more strategic defaults.
Fallacy 5:
Government Position: Property markets must be returned to healthy functional state (aka: price increases are good, price drops are bad).
Irish Banks Response: jack up variable mortgages rates, thus pushing more properties into distress sales and removing more borrowers out of the pool of potential home buyers.
Which part of this 'market' is rational?
With regard to Fallacy 2, is it that people are putting more money into savings or is it that they are just
ReplyDeletetrying to pay down a fraction of the private debt mountain?