German term (edited): Liquidit�tsgef�lle

That's a big buzz word now.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 3 mins (2003-10-07 20:23:54 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Here\'s the idea:
It\'s usually possible to fuel the economy by lowering interest rates, which encourages consumer spending. BUT if the interest rate ever reaches 0% that strategy will no longer be available.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 6 mins (2003-10-07 20:26:51 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

On second thought, looking at your context, I think it just means \"shortage of capital\" or \"tight capital\"

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 10 mins (2003-10-07 20:31:37 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

On third thought, for banking, I\'d go with \"shortage of cash reserves\":

Although officially-declared bank failures were down for 1991, the figure of 127 banks that were \"resolved\" (either closed, forced to be sold to other banks, or given financial assistance) by the FDIC reflected the agency\'s shortage of cash reserves. On November 24, 1991, the late William Taylor, the then-new chairman of the FDIC, acknowledged that federal regulators had been forced to move more slowly in seizing weak banks, particularly larger ones, because of the depletion of the Bank Insurance Fund. A better indication of the growing caseload facing regulators was revealed by the growth in the total value of assets on the problem bank list, which rose to a record-high $486.9 billion by the end of September, 1991, up from $404.2 billion the previous March. By the end of 1991, the asset value total for problem banks had rocketed upward again -- to $611.1 billion. It clearly appeared that the FDIC was finding a number of larger banks in increasing distress, but had to await congressional approval of expanded borrowing authority to obtain sufficient resources to deal with them.