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A CRISIS OF FINANCIALISATION IN EUROPE COSTAS LAPAVITSAS SOAS AND RMF January 2014

Lapavitsas Profiting without producing - Barcelona 2014

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En Costas ha mantingut una posició a favor de l’impagament del deute públic per part de l’estat grec i a favor de la sortida de l’euro dels països del sud d’Europa. També realitza un important treball de divulgació en fòrums de debat, des de la seva columna del The Guardian i escrivint sovint al diari especialitzat Financial Times. També ha publicat llibres en els que exposa la seva visió crítica de l’economia, els més recents són Crisi a l’Eurozona i Profiting without producing (Beneficiant-se sense produir). Us esperem a la conferència d’aquest dijous a la Federació Catalana d’ONGs, a les 19h, amb Costas Lapavitsas, economista grec i professor a SOAS de la Universitat de Londres.

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Page 1: Lapavitsas Profiting without producing - Barcelona 2014

A CRISIS OF FINANCIALISATION IN EUROPE

COSTAS LAPAVITSAS

SOAS AND RMFJanuary 2014

Page 2: Lapavitsas Profiting without producing - Barcelona 2014

Financialisation

An epochal transformation. The second bout of the rise of finance

Asymmetric growth of circulation and new sources of profit

Page 3: Lapavitsas Profiting without producing - Barcelona 2014

Specifically:

Altered conduct of non-financial enterprises, banks, and households

Profits extracted from income flows and money stocks. Financial expropriation

Subordinate financialisation in developing countries

Page 4: Lapavitsas Profiting without producing - Barcelona 2014

Non-financial enterprises

i.Growing detachment from banks

ii.Increasing involvement in the financial system

Page 5: Lapavitsas Profiting without producing - Barcelona 2014

Financing of Investment - USA1

94

6

19

48

19

50

19

52

19

54

19

56

19

58

19

60

19

62

19

64

19

66

19

68

19

70

19

72

19

74

19

76

19

78

19

80

19

82

19

84

19

86

19

88

19

90

19

92

19

94

19

96

19

98

20

00

20

02

20

04

20

06

20

08

20

10

-150

-100

-50

0

50

100

150

200

Net sources of finance as percentage of capital expenditures of the US nonfinancial corporate business

internal funds

bank credit

market funding

Source: calculations by author, Flow of Funds, Table F.102

perc

ent

Page 6: Lapavitsas Profiting without producing - Barcelona 2014

Financing of Investment - Germany

1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

-60

-40

-20

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

Net sources of finance as percentage of gross capital formation of the German nonfinancial corporations

internal fundsbank creditmarket funding

Source: calculations by author, Eurostat, Annual Sector Accounts

perc

ent

Page 7: Lapavitsas Profiting without producing - Barcelona 2014

Banks

i.Reduced lending to non-financial enterprises

ii.Increased lending to other banks

iii. Increased lending to households for mortgages

Page 8: Lapavitsas Profiting without producing - Barcelona 2014

Bank lending - USAComposition of commercial bank assets: US, 1950-2009

0

5

10

15

20

25

2009

2007

2005

2003

2001

1999

1997

1995

1993

1991

1989

1987

1985

1983

1981

1979

1977

1975

1973

1971

1969

1967

1965

1963

1961

1959

1957

1955

1953

1951

Source: calculations by author based on data from FDIC Historical Statistics on Banking, Tables CB09, CB11, CB12

% o

f tot

al as

sets

Loans toindividuals

Householdmortgages

C&I

NFCmortgages

Page 9: Lapavitsas Profiting without producing - Barcelona 2014

Bank lending - Germany

Structure of domestic bank lending, as a share of total bank assets: Germany, 1981-2010

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Source: calculations by author based on data from Deutsche Bundesbank

% o

f tot

al a

sset

s

Lending to banks (MFIs) in theeuro area

Lending to domesticenterprises and self-employedpersons

Housing loans to domesticemployees and otherindividuals

Other loans to domesticemployees and otherindividuals

Page 10: Lapavitsas Profiting without producing - Barcelona 2014

Households

i.Borrowing has increased – mortgages

ii.Assets have also increased - pensions

Page 11: Lapavitsas Profiting without producing - Barcelona 2014

Household borrowing - USA

Composition of household liabilities, as a share of GDP (USA, 1945-2009)

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

1945

1947

1949

1951

1953

1955

1957

1959

1961

1963

1965

1967

1969

1971

1973

1975

1977

1979

1981

1983

1985

1987

1989

1991

1993

1995

1997

1999

2001

2003

2005

2007

2009

Source: calculations by author based on Flow of Funds, Table L.100; NIPA, Table 1.1.5. "Other liabilities" are calculated as a residual - a difference between total household liabilities and mortgages

and consumer debt.

%

Otherliabilities

Consumercredit

Homemortgages

Page 12: Lapavitsas Profiting without producing - Barcelona 2014

Household borrowing - GermanyComposition of household liabilities, as a share of GDP (Germany, 1991-2009)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Source: calculations by author based on Deutsche Bundesbank, Financial accounts, and Statistisches Bundesamt Deutschlands. "Other liabilities" are calculated as a residual.

%

Otherliabilities

Consumerloans

Mortgageloans

Page 13: Lapavitsas Profiting without producing - Barcelona 2014

In sum

A structural transformation at the molecular level of accumulation

Finance has found new fields of profit – households and financial transactions

A changing social structure

Page 14: Lapavitsas Profiting without producing - Barcelona 2014

In Europe

Financialisation operating through the common currency

Split between core and periphery -subordinate financialisation in the periphery

Page 15: Lapavitsas Profiting without producing - Barcelona 2014

EMU

A formal alliance to create an international reserve currency

A formal alliance to create a domestic monetary standard

Page 16: Lapavitsas Profiting without producing - Barcelona 2014

But:

International and domestic roles clash

The clash is reflected in subordinate financialisation in the periphery.

Page 17: Lapavitsas Profiting without producing - Barcelona 2014

Root cause: Capital-Labour relations

Page 18: Lapavitsas Profiting without producing - Barcelona 2014

Germany, France, Southern Europe

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

90

95

100

105

110

115

120

125

130

135

ULC Germany ULC France ULC Southern Europe Inflation target of 1.9%

Page 19: Lapavitsas Profiting without producing - Barcelona 2014

Result one: Imbalances among EMU states

Page 20: Lapavitsas Profiting without producing - Barcelona 2014

Germany, France, Southern Europe

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

-8%

-6%

-4%

-2%

0%

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

Germany France

Southern Europe (Greece, Portugal, Spain and Italy)

Introduction of the Euro

Page 21: Lapavitsas Profiting without producing - Barcelona 2014

Result two: Large and changeable private capital flows.

Page 22: Lapavitsas Profiting without producing - Barcelona 2014

Subordinate peripheral financialisation in the EMU

Peripheral euro-denominated debt for ‘international’ and ‘domestic’ reasons

The debt is held publicly and privately; mostly by households and banks

The debt appears as ‘domestic’, but much of it is in reality ‘international’

Page 23: Lapavitsas Profiting without producing - Barcelona 2014

EU policy

‘Fix’ the crisis through austerity, privatisation, liberalisation and, above all, crushing wages

Replace private capital flows from abroad with official lending

Page 24: Lapavitsas Profiting without producing - Barcelona 2014

Result: Stability through destruction

Deep recession, huge unemployment, debt has worsened

Shortage of domestic private credit

Lack of growth prospects and rising social tensions

Page 25: Lapavitsas Profiting without producing - Barcelona 2014

The problem moves to the core: France and Italy

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

90

95

100

105

110

115

120

125

130

135

140

Germany Greece Spain France Italy Inflation target of 1.9%

Page 26: Lapavitsas Profiting without producing - Barcelona 2014

Is there an alternative?

Marshall plan for the periphery to raise productivity

Rebalancing the German economy

Debt forgivenessRestructuring financeIncome and wealth redistribution

Little chance of this happening, hence a break-up is likely

Page 27: Lapavitsas Profiting without producing - Barcelona 2014

A better, but unlikely, alternative

Exit option for individual countries, on a cooperative basis

Abandonment of the euro, management of exchange rates.

Page 28: Lapavitsas Profiting without producing - Barcelona 2014

A radical alternative

Unilateral exit

Capital controls, bank nationalisation

Income and wealth redistribution

Restructuring to reverse financialisation