Fragile Finance : Debt, Speculation and Crisis in the Age of Global Credit

Fragile Finance examines financial crisis in the era of global credit. Drawing on the work of Hyman Minsky, the book discusses the global financial system over the past decade, suggesting that financial fragility stems from an explosive combination of financial innovation, over-borrowing, and progressive illiquidity of financial structures. The wave of financial implosionsof the 1990s threw millions of people into poverty and misery. Unlike earlier outbreaks of financial instability, in the late 1990s, crises were not confined to the peripheral regions of the global economy. To the bewilderment of many, distress soon spread to the seemingly well-governed, advanced capitalist world. The difficulties faced by high-profile firms like LTCM, Enron, WorldCom, Parlamat, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, along with the burst of the Nasdaq bubble itself, have accentuated the fragility of finance, and compromised many conventional views on crisis and its management. What, then, are the causes of fragile finance today? How can we better understand the nature of financial crisis in the age of globalization? What lessons can be drawn from the recent experience? Exploring various approaches to understanding financial fragility and crisis, this book seeks to provide answers to these questions An Increasing Number Of The World's Largest Banks Now Have More Activities Outside Their Home Country Than Withinches But What Do We Know About The Effects Of Internationalization, And What Is A Successful Business Model For The Future? This Book Explores The Formulation, Implementation And Evaluation Of Internationalization Strategies In Banking. The International Strategies Of The World's Leading Banks In Eight Countries Are Examined Between 1980 And 2004, Strategic Patterns Are Identified And The Effects On Profitability, Stability And Shareholder Performance Are Analysed. The Results Are Sobering. Increasing Profitability And Shareholder Return Through Internationalization Turns Out To Be Extremely Challenging. Only A Few Banks Are Able To Turn International Banking Activities Into A Success. With The Ongoing Cross-border Consolidation In The Banking Industry, This Book Is An Important Contribution To The Internationalization Debate And A Must-read For Bank Management, Regulators And Shareholders. Banking Since The 1980s: Challenges And Issues -- International Banking: A Theoretical Framework -- The World's Largest Banks -- Internationalization Patterns -- Internationalization Strategies -- Performance And Shareholder Wealth -- Competitive Future Internationalization Strategies. Alfred Slager. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 213-218) And Index. "The financial implosions of the 1990s threw millions of people into poverty and misery. Unlike earlier outbreaks of financial instability, the crises of the late 1990s were not confined to the peripheral regions of the global economy. To the bewilderment of many, distress soon spread to the seemingly well-governed, advanced capitalist world. The difficulties faced by high-profile firms like LTCM, Enron, WorldCom, Parmalat, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, along with the bursting of the Nasdaq bubble, accentuated the fragility of finance, and challenged conventional views on crisis and its management. What, then, are the causes of fragile finance today? Flow can we better understand the nature of financial crisis in the age of globalization? What lessons can he drawn from recent experience? Exploring various approaches to understanding financial fragility and crisis, this book seeks to provide answers to these questions."--Jacket Securities exchanges play a significant role in macroeconomics. They engage in the allocation process, which assures that savings are allocated to the most profitable investment opportunities. But what are the forces driving the supply side, namely, the services offered by exchanges? It is not just a matter of market microstructure and the rules governing the price discovery. Rather, it embraces a much wider perspective involving the balance of interests of multiple stakeholders, the competitive strategies of exchanges and other platform operators and the impact of regulation. This book provides an economic analysis of the stock exchange industry. It draws on theories from micro- and industrial economics to provide a detailed analysis of the industry structure, the strategic behaviour of key participants and a methodological framework for assessing the performance of stock exchanges ..." Front Matter....Pages i-xi Introduction....Pages 1-8 The Rise of Fragile Finance....Pages 9-24 A Theory of Fragile Finance....Pages 25-41 Keynesian and Heterodox Theories of Financial Crises....Pages 42-55 Hyman Minsky and Fragile Finance....Pages 56-71 Dilemmas and Paradoxes of Fragile Finance....Pages 72-84 The East Asian Crisis: A Minskyan View....Pages 85-104 Ponzi Capitalism Russian-style....Pages 105-127 Ponzi Finance Goes Global....Pages 128-146 Conclusion....Pages 147-155 Back Matter....Pages 156-190 An account of the principal phases in the development of the English banking system, and an analysis of the financial structure of the economy of the UK. The book focuses in detail on the regulatory and supervisory aspects of the UK banking system, and the interactions between the structural aspects of the banking and supervisory system.