When share and house prices collapsed in 2008, Buttonwood's father-in-law asked what happened to the trillions of dollars of wealth that had disappeared. Uninsured Cypriot bank depositors are asking the same question about the money that is likely to vanish from their accounts. The answer to both questions is remarkably similar. First, those equity and property prices. In a free market, like an auction, prices are set by the marginal buyer and seller. If there is an imbalance between willing buyers and sellers (as there was in American, Spanish and Irish housing in the middle of the last decade), then prices will rise sharply. The average homeowner feels wealthier as a result.
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