It wants and needs to sober up, dry out, go through rehab, discharge debts, de-leverage and correct mistakes.

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The problem with leverage is that it requires investment in highly liquid instruments so the holder can quickly de-leverage.

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In fact it continues on a lower trajectory as the world continues to de-leverage from years of built-up excess debt.

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One of these risks is the threat of economic stagnation driven by de-leverage and government-imposed austerity, as it was discussed in previous pieces.

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Banks, facing capital constraints and forced to de-leverage their own holdings of troubled assets, are not lending more to each other or to customers.

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Investors are longing for growth stories, so they will push back on pricing when portfolio companies with weak balance sheets try to tap equity markets in order to de-leverage.

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But the shared appreciation concept also offers a way to restructure existing loans so that they provide benefits for both lenders and households and allow households to de-leverage and repair their balance sheets.

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Turning ones eyes toward the U.S., weak personal income (as the private sector continues to de-leverage) continues to put pressure on the economic outlook, while political gridlock in Washington makes it unlikely that fiscal stimulus will come any time soon.

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Some will say the banks are partly to blame for the sluggishness of the economic recovery, having pumped up the leverage in the boom years and now - in this era of so-called de-risking and deleveraging - starving businesses with good growth prospects of the credit they so badly need.

BBC: Sluggish UK economy means slower Lloyds revival