Friday, July 13, 2012

Central Banks Knew About LIBOR Manipulation For Years—Here's Why They Didn't Do Anything


A document dump from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York earlier today indicates one thing: the Federal Reserve, the Bank of England, and the British Bankers Association knew that traders were misreporting the data used to calculate one of the world's most important financial benchmarks for years, BusinessInsider reports.

And there are a few really good reasons they did nothing.

The London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) serves as the benchmark rate for lending in dollars across the world, serving as the basis for mortgage rates, credit cards, commercial loans, financial derivatives—you name it.

Every day, 18 banks from around the world tell Thomson Reuters the price they would pay to borrow money. Thomson Reuters compiles that data, cutting off the highest and lowest four rates submitted, and the BBA publishes a composite LIBOR number.

Documents published by the NY Fed today cite discussions in which traders admitted they were not reporting accurate borrowing rates…..
  
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/central-banks-knew-about-libor-manipulation-for-yearsheres-why-they-didnt-do-anything-2012-7#ixzz20Wk4Vx9y

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