The House of Lords believes that proposed regulation by the European Union threatens the stability of the financial markets, according to a recent report by Reuters. The lawmakers think that in order for regulation to work, it needs to be uniformed and signed off on by the powers that be across the globe. Sounds a bit like all for one and one for all to me. When was the last time that worked?
Well guess what, regulation – is not the answer – the answer is get rid of corruption, get rid of back room dealing and get rid of the favoritism. The collapse or near collapse of the financial systems around the world was not due to lack of hedge fund regulation, it was due to politicians wanting to put a chicken in every pot. When it went bad, well, the blame needed to placed on someone or some group – who better then the hedge funds?
What about the people who got rid of Glass-Steagall and relaxed lending requirements? These folks have not been questioned about their role in the collapse. They have been able to ride off into the sunset and in some cases seek higher elected office. The actions of these people during the late 1990’s and early part of the 2000’s need to be reviewed in order to really get to the bottom of what happened in the crisis and to make sure it does not happen again. Until we get the “story behind the story”, be prepared for more of the same.
Proposed regulation is just one of the topics we will be talking about on the HEDGEAnswers February call next Tuesday at 10 am. Register today and Get in on the Discussion. Learn more and register by clicking here.