Wednesday, October 1, 2008

CNBC Analyst Debunks Myth Bailout Will Make a Profit

The theory that bailout legislation recently defeated in the House of Representatives would make money for the federal government has been propagated by the financial media.

The September 2008 report from the IMF stated the chances of the government recouping anything more than just a fraction of the bailout costs is unlikely. Alex Patelis, head of international economics at Merrill Lynch, explained the report and cited history as an indicator on CNBC's Sept. 29 "Squawk on the Street."

"What you find in the IMF report is of course that banking crises happen all the time," Patelis said. "If you look at the history of banking crises - that on average they cost about 13 percent of GDP to the government, both in terms of direct recapitalization costs, but also lost revenue."
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