Lombard Street : a description of the money market by Walter Bagehot
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page 4 of 260 (01%)
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London (31st December, 1872) 120,000,000 L
Paris (27th February, 1873) 13,000,000 L New York (February, 1873) 40,000,000 L German Empire (31st January, 1873) 8,000,000 L And the unknown deposits--the deposits in banks which do not publish their accounts--are in London much greater than those many other of these cities. The bankers' deposits of London are many times greater than those of any other city--those of Great Britain many times greater than those of any other country. Of course the deposits of bankers are not a strictly accurate measure of the resources of a Money Market. On the contrary, much more cash exists out of banks in France and Germany, and in all non-banking countries, than could be found in England or Scotland, where banking is developed. But that cash is not, so to speak, 'money-market money:' it is not attainable. Nothing but their immense misfortunes, nothing but a vast loan in their own securities, could have extracted the hoards of France from the custody of the French people. The offer of no other securities would have tempted them, for they had confidence in no other securities. For all other purposes the money hoarded was useless and might as well not have been hoarded. But the English money is 'borrowable' money. Our people are bolder in dealing with their money than any continental nation, and even if they were not bolder, the mere fact that their money is deposited in a bank makes it far more obtainable. A million in the hands of a single banker is a great power; he can at once lend it where he will, and borrowers can come to him, because they know or believe that he has it. But the same sum scattered in tens and fifties through a whole nation is no power |
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