On Wednesday’s broadcast of CNN International’s “One World,” CNN host, International Business Correspondent, and CNN Business Editor-at-Large Richard Quest stated that the Federal Reserve’s interest rate hike will make things “worse” for banks because “all the banks are stuffed to the gills with these government bonds” that will be devalued by the rate hikes. And predicted that there will be more banks going out of business, particularly state and regional banks.
Quest said, “Now, if inflation was your goal and your number one target, then you’d have gone 50 [basis points]. But, obviously, the overriding concern today is the banking sector. And remember, Zain, the problem with the banking sector is that all the banks are stuffed to the gills with these government bonds. Raise the interest rate, and the bond becomes less valuable. So, even today’s action at 0.25% makes things that little bit worse for the banks.”
Later, he added, “More banks are going to go out of business. More state and regional banks in the United States will need to be resolved — to use the technical phrase — they’ll be taken over, they’ll be wound up, they’ll be taken into ownership, all sorts of things.”
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