I'll say it again:
People demand loans when they want to invest in capital assets or in expensive durable goods. The housing market is down, car dealerships are shutting down, and retail markets for things big and small are closing. That leaves out capital assets, but, unfortunately, most investors are now either investing in commodities, or buying US bonds because they are so cheap (Europe); they could be also just keeping that money.
The banks aren't giving out loans because people aren't demanding them. I've heard commercials on the local radio from Bank of America and CitiGroup basically telling me "Loan our money!" Which tells me that they are in dire straits right now.
I'll add: What use does taking 700 Billion dollars worth of funds from the market do when you are giving it to the very people that started the mess? Nobody is demanding loans, which makes, in my opinion, any debate over the usefulness moot.
You are taking 700 Billion dollars which could have been spent on real capital assets or saved or invested in projects all over the world (Africa is not getting as much financial aid from nations because all of that money is going toward buying dirt cheap US bonds), and you are giving it people who will just let it sit in their vaults.
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