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> The main source of "money printing" is banks making loan Sounds like a similar mechanism as the UK. I'm not aware if the system is exactly the same or not.

> The main source of "money printing" is banks making loan Sounds like a similar mechanism as the UK. I'm not aware if the system is exactly the same or not. It was apparently so poorly understood in the UK that the bank of England wrote a paper (Money creation the Modern Economy https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/-/media/boe/files/quarterly-bulletin/2014/money-creation-in-the-modern-economy.pdf https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/-/media/boe/files/quarterly-...) in 2014 to clarify where new money comes from. There's a good summary here https://positivemoney.org/uk-global/archive/proof-that-banks-create-money/ https://positivemoney.org/uk-global/archive/proof-that-banks.... It's not something I was aware of until recently, but I was surprised that it was not more under the control of the government and central bank (in the UK, anyway, if it turns out it's different in the US).

fauigerzigerk 2y ago
>Sounds like a similar mechanism as the UK. I'm not aware if the system is exactly the same or not. Yes, this mechanism is called fractional reserve banking. It's in use basically everywhere.
- davejohnclark 2y ago
  Interestingly that paper from the Bank of England makes no mention of "fractional reserve" anywhere, but they do say: >Another common misconception is that the central bank determines the quantity of loans and deposits in the economy by controlling the quantity of central bank money — the so-called ‘money multiplier’ approach >While the money multiplier theory can be a useful way of introducing money and banking in economic textbooks, it is not an accurate description of how money is created in reality. Rather than controlling the quantity of reserves, central banks today typically implement monetary policy by setting the price of reserves — that is, interest rates. >In reality, neither are reserves a binding constraint on lending, nor does the central bank fix the amount of reserves that are available Anyway, I think I'm digressing from the topic a bit here - but I _think_ what I've learned recently is that in the UK it isn't actually fractional reserve banking, which I was surprised by.
  - fauigerzigerk 2y ago
    >but I _think_ what I've learned recently is that in the UK it isn't actually fractional reserve banking, which I was surprised by. The BoE doesn't currently impose a mandatory reserve requirement. They do have more general liquidity requirements though (central bank reserves being one possible source of liquidity). I would still see it as a fractional reserve banking system, especially as these minor differences don't matter for the question of how money is created.
    - davejohnclark 2y ago
      Yeah I think that's a fair shout, the main element being that private banks create the money via loans. Thanks for engaging, I appreciate the discussion. One day I might grok how modern economies hang together, but I've a way to go yet.

fauigerzigerk 2y ago

>Sounds like a similar mechanism as the UK. I'm not aware if the system is exactly the same or not. Yes, this mechanism is called fractional reserve banking. It's in use basically everywhere.

davejohnclark 2y ago
Interestingly that paper from the Bank of England makes no mention of "fractional reserve" anywhere, but they do say: >Another common misconception is that the central bank determines the quantity of loans and deposits in the economy by controlling the quantity of central bank money — the so-called ‘money multiplier’ approach >While the money multiplier theory can be a useful way of introducing money and banking in economic textbooks, it is not an accurate description of how money is created in reality. Rather than controlling the quantity of reserves, central banks today typically implement monetary policy by setting the price of reserves — that is, interest rates. >In reality, neither are reserves a binding constraint on lending, nor does the central bank fix the amount of reserves that are available Anyway, I think I'm digressing from the topic a bit here - but I _think_ what I've learned recently is that in the UK it isn't actually fractional reserve banking, which I was surprised by.
- fauigerzigerk 2y ago
  >but I _think_ what I've learned recently is that in the UK it isn't actually fractional reserve banking, which I was surprised by. The BoE doesn't currently impose a mandatory reserve requirement. They do have more general liquidity requirements though (central bank reserves being one possible source of liquidity). I would still see it as a fractional reserve banking system, especially as these minor differences don't matter for the question of how money is created.
  - davejohnclark 2y ago
    Yeah I think that's a fair shout, the main element being that private banks create the money via loans. Thanks for engaging, I appreciate the discussion. One day I might grok how modern economies hang together, but I've a way to go yet.