Tuesday, January 06, 2009

 

A few quotes from the "Experts" in charge of our busted financial system - the one THEY broke

There is now a "reduced possibility" of a deep recession, the former Fed oracle said, after telling the Financial Times late last month that a US recession remained a probability. Greenspan told the paper he believed "there is a greater than 50 percent probability of recession," noting, however, that "that probability has receded a little." (Alan Greenspan - Jun 13, 2008)

***Note: Data now shows the current recession started in December 2007***


"Improvements in lending practices driven by information technology have enabled lenders to reach out to households with previously unrecognized borrowing capacities." (Alan Greenspan, October 2004)

“There is a chance that housing prices could fall, but its effect on the economy will be limited.” (Alan Greenspan, 2005)

"The use of a growing array of derivatives and the related application of more-sophisticated approaches to measuring and managing risk are key factors underpinning the greater resilience of our largest financial institutions .... Derivatives have permitted the unbundling of financial risks." (Alan Greenspan, May 2005)

“I suspect that we are coming to the end of the housing downturn, as applications for new mortgages, the most important series, have flattened out…I think that the worst of this may well be over.” (Alan Greenspan, October 1, 2006)

“The market impact of the U.S. subprime mortgage fallout is largely contained and that the global economy is as strong as it has been in decades.” (Henry Paulson, January 2007)

“All the signs I look at show the housing market is at or near the bottom. The U.S. economy is very healthy and robust.” (Henry Paulson, 4/20/07)

“I’m not interested in bailing out investors, lenders and speculators.” (Henry Paulson, 3/2/08)

“At this juncture, the impact on the broader economy and financial markets of the problems in the subprime market seems likely to be contained.” (Ben Bernanke during Congressional Testimony 3/2007)

"We will follow developments in the subprime market closely. However, fundamental factors—including solid growth in incomes and relatively low mortgage rates—should ultimately support the demand for housing, and at this point, the troubles in the subprime sector seem unlikely to seriously spill over to the broader economy or the financial system." (Ben Bernanke, 6/5/07)

“It is not the responsibility of the Federal Reserve—nor would it be appropriate—to protect lenders and investors from the consequences of their financial decisions.” (Ben Bernanke, 10/15/07)

“Changes in financial markets, including those that are the subject of your conference, have improved the efficiency of financial intermediation and improved our confidence in the ability of markets to absorb stress. In financial systems around the world, the capital positions of banks have improved and capital markets are becoming deeper and playing a larger role in financial intermediation. Financial innovation has improved the capacity to measure and manage risk. Risk is spread more broadly across countries and institutions.” (Timothy Geithner, May 15, 2007)


This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?