Report
Patrick Artus

Towards central bank "dictatorship"?

The monetary policy conducted since the subprime crisis by central banks in OECD countries has led to a situation where: They are holding an ever-increasing share of government bonds; They are holding a proportion of corporate bonds that is becoming significant; They will perhaps become major shareholders in companies in the future if they buy shares - which has already started in Japan and Switzerland. This gives considerable power to central banks: they can decide whether or not to ensure governments' solvency and whether or not to keep corporate funding costs low; they may perhaps one day demand a saying in corporate governance (currently, the Bank of Japan only buys equity ETFs to avoid this issue), and may significantly alter share prices. Is it acceptable for independent institutions to hold such power? And could that power turn into weakness?
Provider
Natixis
Natixis

Based across the world’s leading financial centers, Natixis CIB Research offers an integrated view of the markets. The team provides support to inform Natixis clients’ investment and hedging decisions across all asset classes.

 

Analysts
Patrick Artus

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Benito Berber
  • Benito Berber

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