>I probably forgive you Doug, but if the $120bn which the IMF
>alone according to the back of my envelope has doled out this
>year to Indonesia, Korea, Thailand, Russia etc doesn't count
>as real money, then what does? You're just proving my point
>actually.
How much have they actually disbursed, and how does it compare to need? According to an IMF release at <http://www.imf.org/external/np/exr/facts/asia.pdf>, total disbursements in Asia, as of the end of July, were $25b ($5b to Indonesia, $17b to Korea, and $3b to Thailand). According to International Financial Statistics, Russia had drawn about $11b as of June, with another $5b was drawn in July <http://www.imf.org/external/np/sec/pr/1998/PR9831.HTM>. So actual cash on the barrelhead equals about 1/3 as much as your envelope says.
Besides, the central banks of the world are not supporting this with lower interest rates and a flood of liquidity.
Doug