Lombard Street: A Description of the Money MarketBagehot, Walter
History
Lombard Street: A Description of the Money Market
Bagehot, Walter
Banks and banking -- England -- London; Banks and banking -- Great Britain; Finance -- England -- London; Finance -- Great Britain
First. He should have observed that the question is not as to what
'ought to be,' but as to what is. The 'Economist' did not say that
the system of a single bank reserve was a good system, but that it
was the system which existed, and which must be worked, as you could
not change it.
Secondly. Mr. Hankey should have shown 'some other store of unused
cash' except the reserve in the Banking Department of the Bank of
England out of which advances in time of panic could be made. These
advances are necessary, and must be made by someone. The 'reserves'
of London bankers are not such store; they are used cash, not
unused; they are part of the Bank deposits, and lent as such.
Thirdly. Mr. Hankey should have observed that we know by the
published figures that the joint stock banks of London do not keep
one-third, or anything like one-third, of their liabilities in
'cash' even meaning by 'cash' a deposit at the Bank of England.
One-third of the deposits in joint stock banks, not to speak of the
private banks, would be 30,000,000 L.; and the private deposits of
the Bank of England are 18,000,000 L. According to his own
statement, there is a conspicuous contrast. The joint stock banks,
and the private banks, no doubt, too, keep one sort of reserve, and
the Bank of England a different kind of reserve altogether. Mr.
Hankey says that the two ought to be managed on the same principle;
but if so, he should have said whether he would assimilate the
practice of the Bank of England to that of the other banks, or that
of the other banks to the practice of the Bank of England.
Fourthly. Mr. Hankey should have observed that, as has been
explained, in most panics, the principal use of a 'banking reserve'
is not to advance to bankers; the largest amount is almost always
advanced to the mercantile public and to bill-brokers. But the point
is, that by our system all extra pressure is thrown upon the Bank of
England. In the worst part of the crisis of 1866, 50,000 L. 'fresh
money' could not be borrowed, even on the best security--even on
Consols except at the Bank of England. There was no other lender to
new borrowers.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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