Banks Are Going to Cause a Recession Again

It’s time to face the facts, folks. The banking sector is again leading us down a dangerous path that could result in another recession. This time around, it’s Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) that failed to heed the warnings of the Federal Reserve and ended up causing a run on the bank that sparked a domino effect throughout the industry.

The Writing Was on the Wall

Anyone paying attention to financial news over the past year should have known that interest rates would rise. The Federal Reserve had been warning that ongoing rate increases were coming, and by September of 2022, they projected that rates would not stop rising until they hit 4.5%. So, why did SVB keep its deposits in U.S. government bonds, despite the warning that they may be unable to generate enough cash in a crisis? It’s a mistake that could have been avoided and now puts our economy at risk.

Avoidable Crisis Turns into Contagion

The failure of SVB prompted a run on the bank that led to its subsequent failure. This, in turn, caused bank runs at other small and mid-sized banks, including Signature Bank, which also failed. Major players like First Republic Bank and Credit Suisse have also been impacted. Now, forecasters are warning of a potential recession caused by this all-too-familiar story of financial mismanagement.

Parallels to the Great Recession

The current banking crisis has some parallels to the Great Recession of 2008. Once again, banks find themselves with investments that are losing big money, and they cannot turn them into something liquid fast enough to pay back depositors who want their money back. This is the same kind of situation that led to the mortgage-backed security crisis in 2008. We should be concerned that we are facing a similar scenario.

Related Facts

• Employers added 311,000 jobs in February, more than analysts had expected
• Existing home sales jumped 14.5% in February, the largest increase since July 2020
• Consumer spending has remained resilient despite high inflation

Key Takeaway

It’s time for banks to wake up and take responsibility for their actions. Consumers are doing their part to keep the economy moving forward, but banks are again leading us toward disaster. We must hold them accountable for their mistakes and demand better risk management strategies.

Conclusion

We have the power to avoid another recession caused by the banking sector. First, we must hold banks accountable for their actions and demand that they take the necessary steps to avoid repeating the same mistakes. The time for action is now.