Archives
Obama's Italian Job
President Obama's landmark move to force Chrysler into bankruptcy leads on the nation's business pages today, with the New York Times calling it "yet another extraordinary intervention into private industry by the federal government." The attention in the troubled auto sector flipped from Detroit to D.C.
Chrysler Will Fight to Bitter End
Chrysler will likely file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy today as its deadline for restructuring looms. The news dominates headlines in today's business press and takes shape as the answer to the long-speculated question: What the hell will happen to Chrysler? Despite efforts on the part of the Obama administration to sweeten its cash offering by $250 million to secured debt holders, who own an aggregate $6.9 billion of debt, no compromise could be made as of late Wednesday night. Officials are offering $2.25 billion cash in exchange for the debt.
House Prices Head Southwest
Phoenix, take a bow. You are the new poster child of the U.S. housing market decline according to the latest data, the New York Times reports. Home prices in the 12th-largest metropolitan area in the United States fell 4.5 percent in February, according to the Standard & Poor’s Case-Shiller Home Price Index. That's a drop of 50.8 percent since the market peaked in June 2006.
GM Willing To Change
The Wall Street Journal leads its front page, and the New York Times and the Washington Post lead their business sections, with General Motors' (GM) restructuring plan, which would see the U.S. government taking a majority stake in the troubled auto manufacturer.
Banks, Chrysler Face Week of Reckoning
Speculation surrounding the recently completed bank stress tests remains a top story today, even though nothing new has been announced since Friday. The Wall Street Journal narrows down the idententities of a few of the less obvious institutions that underwent stress tests, reporting that at least three were likely "regional banks with substantial exposures to commercial real estate in the Midwest and Southeast." Groundbreaking.
A New Optimism Emerges
The Wall Street Journal tops its front page and the New York Times leads its business coverage with better-than-expected earnings at Ford, which reported yesterday that in the first quarter the automaker experienced a net loss of $1.4 billion with revenue falling 37 percent to $24.8 billion, meaning it would not need a government bailout.
Bankruptcy Imminent for Chrysler
Chrysler is driving ever closer to bankruptcy, the Wall Street Journal, Business Week, and the New York Times report this morning, leading off their business coverage. The carmaker could file for Chapter 11 as early as next week, regardless of whether or not it cinches a deal with Fiat and/or its demanding bondholders, the WSJ says, citing sources.
BofA Speaks on Merrill Mess
The business press this morning is riddled with scandal and upset! The Wall Street Journal banners with Ken Lewis testifying under oath that Chairman of the Federal Reserve Ben Bernanke and then-Treasury Department Chief Henry Paulson pressured the Bank of America CEO "to not discuss [BofA's] increasingly troubled plan to buy Merrill Lynch—a deal that later triggered a government bailout" of the bank.
It's Not Payback Time for Banks
Want to pay back Uncle Sam ahead of schedule? Not so fast. That's the message Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner sent yesterday to bank brass anxious to pay off the billions they owe the government.
Investors Lose Faith in BofA
Bank of America (BAC) reported a $4.2 billion first-quarter profit yesterday, but investors said, "That's not enough." The Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times report that upon news of the earnings, which were largely buttressed by one-time windfalls, Bank of America's shares fell 24 percent to $8.02.
The $6 Billion Pepsi Challenge
Late Sunday soft drinks behemoth PepsiCo (PEP) made a surprise $6 billion bid for two of its biggest bottlers, the Wall Street Journal reports in an exclusive.
Fighting Over Inflation
Vice Chairman of the Federal Reserve Donald Kohn played down worries that the Fed's lending program will lead to a "surge in inflation" and signaled that the government may make more credit available to banks in need during a speech yesterday at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. Bloomberg, Retuers, and the Wall Street Journal report that the vice chairman also signaled that the government may make more credit available if the need arises.
Citigroup Beats Expectations
Surprising, well, just about everybody, Citigroup (C) is claiming a net quarterly profit of $1.6 billion, marking the bank's first gain in six quarters. However, nary a report of the announcement lauds the news. The New York Times says that behind the seemingly impressive number is "some fuzzy math" and "creative accounting." One such "maneuver," referred to as a "credit value adjustment" and outlined by the paper, boosted the firm's bottom line by $2.7 billion.
Googling Gloom
"Even Google can't escape the recession." That's the glum prognosis of BusinessWeek this morning in an analysis of the search engine's underwhelming first-quarter results revealed on Thursday.
China Chases Natural Resources
The business news takes a global bent today with stories about China and Swiss firms filling top spots. The New York Times reports that China is aggressively growing its influence in Latin America with a focus on securing natural resources, such as oil, soybeans, and iron ore.
Surprise! Grades Come Early for Banks.
Gulp, the banks will be getting their grades sooner than expected, the Wall Street Journal and New York Times report today, leading off their business coverage. By announcing the details early, the Obama administration could give the markets a much-needed indication that would sort out the strong banks from the weak. The WSJ says that with the move we're heading into a new phase in the banking crisis, one with clear winners and losers.
Goldman Wants Out From Under Government's Thumb
Escape the grip of the government, extricate itself from heightened government control, get out from under the government's thumb—these are some of the terms used by the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal to describe Goldman Sachs' motives in repaying a $10 billion government loan extended six months ago.
GM Headed for the Chop Shop?
The clock is ticking down yet again on General Motors. The New York Times leads its business coverage today with an exclusive saying, "The Treasury Department is directing General Motors to lay the groundwork for a bankruptcy filing by a June 1 deadline," even if the carmaker thinks it can reorganize outside of bankruptcy court.
China Opens the Taps
The easy money in China will continue to flow. The Chinese central bank issued a policy statement on Saturday reiterated a “relatively loose” monetary policy, which had led to new loans increasing six times in March, according to Bloomberg.
Obama Cites "Glimmers of Hope"
The press has widespread coverage of President Obama’s meeting with his economic advisers (including Timothy Geithner, Ben Bernanke, Lawrence Summers, and Sheila Bair) from Friday, with most quoting Obama hopeful remark that “what you’re starting to see is glimmers of hope across the economy.” What’s the evidence?
Banks Bounce Back
Markets soared Thursday following a spate of good news from an unlikely sector, the banks. Wells Fargo is predicting a record first quarter profit, the Wall Street Journal reports, sending its shares a staggering 27 percent higher and lifting with it the entire financial services sector. More positive news could come later this month when the Obama administration releases details on the banks' stress tests.
Buffett's Bad Moody's
Tough times continue for Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett's perennial cash cow, after Moody's cut its long-term issuer rating to Aa2 from its top Aaa rating. Moody's said the recession and investment losses at Berkshire's insurance interests "reduced its ability to support funding needs," CNN Money reports.
Insuring the Insurers
The Treasury Department will open up its checkbook for another teetering segment of the financial-services sector, the insurance industry, the Wall Street Journal reports this morning in an exclusive. The announcement to provide bailout funds for insurers under the TARP program could come any day now, a bit of welcome relief for the battered sector. Just how bad have things been for the insurers?
How Much Is AIG Really Worth?
AIG, still on the hook to pay back the government $173 billion, is attracting interest for its asset-management units, lining up a half-dozen potential buyers, the Wall Street Journal reports today, leading off its coverage. That's the good news.
