I admit I don’t get the big time world of high finance, derivatives trading, the stock market or The Fed. What I know is that trillions of dollars of my money is being shipped and wired and transferred all around the globe while at the same time the economic condition of millions of Americans is getting worse by the day. But here’s a little simple analysis from my friend, Matt Stoller:
Bank of America is shifting derivatives in its Merrill investment banking unit to its depository arm, which has access to the Fed discount window and is protected by the FDIC. This means that an investment bank’s European derivatives exposure is now backstopped by the taxpayer.Bank of America didn’t get regulatory approval to do this, they just did it at the request of counterparties (hmmm). Now the Fed and the FDIC are fighting as to whether this was sound. The Fed wants to “give relief” to the bank holding company, which is under heavy pressure.