Following a run-up in credit expansion that occurred in the early 1870s, a visible widening in both relative prices and production compared to the late 1860s emerged that fostered multiple malinvestments in the higher orders. The expansion was largely caused by the Civil War monetary legislation that created the National Banking System. Both state and national banks were able to pyramid credit on the same set of lawful money reserves through the use of interest paying interbank deposits. The money supply continued to expand during the bust years, which showed symptoms of an Austrian contraction with the decline in output and prices concentrated in industries that overexpanded during the boom. Largely the result of bank runs, the money supply contracted for the remainder of the supposed depression years. This decline was shown to have actually hastened the recovery and during this period there was a noticeable rebound in growth. @Leo (BillNyeLand)
