The Value of MoneyAnderson, Benjamin M. (Benjamin McAlester)
General
The Value of Money
Anderson, Benjamin M. (Benjamin McAlester)
Money
In 1901, 265,944,659 shares were sold. Of these, 15% were "X-Clearing
House," _i. e._, not on the list of stocks handled through the Stock
Exchange Clearing House. This 15% was paid for in full by check. The
bond sales are not cleared, and so another billion dollars of checks is
required for this item.[432] If we assume (on the basis of the estimates
given to the writer by DeCoppet & Doremus, and Mr. Byron W. Holt, for
recent years) that 25% of the 100 share sales would be added if "odd
lots" were counted, we have another large item that does not go to the
Clearing House. "Private clearings" reduce the number of checks in
connection with odd lots, but not so effectively as is the case with
hundred share sales put through the Clearing House. So far the Clearing
House has done nothing. What did it do with the 85% of the stocks in
hundred share lots offered for clearing?
The figures are perfectly definite. The 85% of the 266 million shares
sold was 226 million shares. The "share balance" remaining after the
Clearing House had done its best was 134 million shares.[433] The number
of shares sold, then, for which checks did not have to pass as a result
of the clearing process was 93 millions. In terms of dollars, we may put
the same figures. The estimated money-value of the 266 million shares
sold was 20.5 billions;[434] 85% of this is 17,425 millions. The
certifications required to pay for the 134 million share balance was
10,930 millions. The saving in checks was, thus, 6,495 millions of
dollars. This is the full extent to which the Stock Exchange Clearing
House undercounts recorded share sales. This is less than 1.7% of
Professor Fisher's 387 billions! To offset this, however, we have
_over_counting in the 5% of checks for all dealings on the Exchange
which pass between brokers and customers, as shown, and all the checks
between brokers and out-of-town brokers. We shall also find items of
_over_counting which vastly more than offset this undercounting, in
_loan_ transactions between brokers, and between banks and brokers, to
which we shall shortly give attention.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account