Tag:
extent
Latest Headlines
Latest Headlines
Fair value to affect deals?
You've probably had your fill of fair value talk. Who would have thought we'd be spending so much time on something called FAS 157? But what to do about this rule--and 115 for that matter--is of critical importance to the industry. And now there is a new wrinkle.
Reuters reports that new M
Are business schools to blame?
Business Week is hosting an interesting debate on the extent to which business schools are to blame for the financial meltdown. Of course that would be a stretch. But two HBS grads make the case that b-school students drank the Kool-Aid of exotic financial instruments, poorly designed compensa
For hedge funds, volatility isn't enough
The hedge fund industry's mantra has long been that they thrive on volatility. But recently, people have noted that there's been lots of volatility--record amounts in fact--but hedge funds are shaking out faster than coconuts in a hurricane. So is the time-honored mantra wrong? AllAboutAlpha.com
How a bear raid might work
There has been a lot of talk--and probably a government investigation--about whether short sellers powered Bear Stearns  out of existence, barraging it with rumors and innuendo that took on a life of their own. It's unclear what the answer is. The extent to which bear raids take place is uncl
The big picture: Will tremors spread?
The great fear is that the run on liquidity at Bear Stearns will spread to other tottering institutions. Lehman Brothers , which hasn't been nearly as hard hit by the crisis, announced it secured a credit line as its stock tanked. The real danger here is that the rumor mill gets cranked up
Blackstone buys GSO Capital
Aiming to profit from the credit crunch, the Blackstone Group has inked a deal to buy hedge fund firm GSO Capital for $620 million up front in cash and stock--and up to $310 million more based on various milestones. According to the AP , GSO specializes in leveraged finance, and manages a mult
A warning from State Street?
State Street has announced that it will set aside $618 million to cover possible legal costs stemming from its foray into subprime securities. That will result in a $279 million loss. State Street has been sued by clients, alleging that they invested in vehicles that they were told would include
More writedowns coming, how big?
Here's Q4 cheat sheet: Citigroup is expected to write off about $19 billion. Merrill Lynch, about $12 billion, and JP Morgan Chase about $3.5 billion. The bad news is that will still leave Citigroup and Merrill Lynch (to a lesser extent JP Morgan Chase) uncomfortably exposed to CDOs. The Ti
Pandit's star shines, as his hedge fund flags
As of now, Vikram Pandit presumably sits atop a short list of Citigroup CEO candidates. One blight on his list of qualifications might be unexpectedly poor performance of his hedge fund firm, Old Lane Partners, since Citigroup bought it for $800 million in April. The firm was meant to be the foun
The meaning of Citigroup's earnings
Well, even after the pre-announcement, Citigroup's loss was bigger than expected. Still, it seemed to take people by surprise. That the bank's woes may linger into the fourth quarter was another bitter dose of rancid medicine. Big banks with lots of retail banking seem to be more exposed than the
