WASHINGTON, May 21, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – The American private sector’s mounting
debts pose a “moderate” risk to the world’s largest economy, Federal Reserve
Chairman Jerome Powell said Monday.
With corporate debts reaching historic highs relative to the size of the
economy, public comment has run the gamut, according to Powell, either
warning of grave danger or waiving off such threats as “nothing to worry
about.”
But the truth, he said, according to a copy of remarks prepared for a
speech in Florida, was “likely somewhere in the middle.”
“As of now, business debt does not present the kind of elevated risks to
the stability of the financial system that would lead to broad harm to
households and businesses should conditions deteriorate,” Powell said.
“At the same time, the level of debt certainly could stress borrowers if
the economy weakens.”
Economists warn that after years of economic recovery and low interest
rates, companies across the spectrum of US industries now frequently have
debts that are several times greater than their earnings, with debt growing
faster than the economy for the last decade.
Should interest rates rise or the economy slow, this could leave them
struggling to repay, creating a risk to the wider economy.
Nevertheless, Powell said it was incorrect to draw parallels with the
collapse in mortgage-backed securities which led to the global financial
crisis in 2008.
Banking reforms after the crisis have made the financial sector resilient
enough to handle such losses, there are few signs of an asset price bubble
and the investment vehicles used to trade in debt are more sound, according
to Powell.
Nevertheless there is clear cause for concern, he said.
“Corporate debt relative to the book value of assets is at the upper end of
its range over the past few decades,” said Powell, adding that investment-
grade corporate debts were verging on junk.
The Fed earlier this month issued a similar warning, saying in its latest
report on financial stability that a large appetite for risk had kept stock
prices relative to expected earnings above their average of the last 30
years.
The International Monetary Fund also warned recently that rising debt
levels posed a threat to the global economy.