Στις 20 οι αμερικανικές τράπεζες που κατερρευσαν φέτος
Η 20η τράπεζα που καταρρέει μέσα στο 2008 λόγω της συνεχιζόμενης χρηματοπιστωτικής κρίσης έγινε αργά την Παρασκευή η Community Bank, σύμφωνα με σχετική ανακοίνωση της Ομοσπονδιακής Εταιρείας Ασφάλισης Καταθέσεων (FDIC) την οποία επικαλείται το Marketwatch.
Όλες οι καταθέσεις της Community Bank έχουν μεταφερθεί στην Bank of Essex, ενώ τα τέσσερα υποκαταστήματα της Community Bank θα λειτουργήσουν τη Δευτέρα υπό την επωνυμία της Bank of Essex. Η Community Bank είχε συνολικά πάγια 681 εκατ. δολαρίων και καταθέσεις 611,4 εκατ. δολαρίων.
Η FDIC εκτιμά πως η αποτυχία της Community Bank θα κοστίσει στο Ταμείο Ασφάλισης Καταθέσεων 200 εκατ. δολάρια-240 εκατ. δολάρια. Η Community Bank είναι η τρίτη τράπεζα από την Τζώρτζια που βάζει "λουκέτο".
CAPITAL.GR
Economy | Business | Social | Leaked | Opinions
Saturday, November 22, 2008
GM, Awaiting U.S. Aid Decision, Will Idle Plants, Return Jets
GM, Awaiting U.S. Aid Decision, Will Idle Plants, Return Jets
Nov. 22 (Bloomberg) -- General Motors Corp., under pressure after Congress delayed action on automaker aid, is idling four plants for an additional week, extending the shutdown of an engineering center and returning some corporate jets.
The closure of a truck factory in Oshawa, Ontario, is also being moved up by two months to May 14, Tony Sapienza, a spokesman for Detroit-based GM, said yesterday. The plants that will have the extra shutdown week in January are in Michigan, Ohio, Kansas and Missouri.
GM, which has said it may run short of operating cash by the end of this year, acted a day after Democratic leaders in Congress put off deciding on loans to automakers until next month. Congressional leaders want GM, Ford and Chrysler LLC to make a case for the help.
``At this point, GM is not thinking about 2015, they are thinking about 2009,'' said Mike Robinet, an analyst at CSM Worldwide Inc. in Northville, Michigan. ``Ninety percent of their decisions are focused on what they need do to bolster revenue and save cash.''
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, told the automakers in a letter yesterday that they must provide ``a forthright, documented assessment'' of their current operating cash position, short-term funding needs ``and how they will meet the financing needs associated with the plan to ensure the companies' long-term viability.''
Pelosi told reporters that even if the automakers fail to make a convincing case, Congress must do something to help them.
Corporate Jets
GM is in the process of returning two leased corporate jets after sending back two others in September, said Tom Wilkinson, a company spokesman. The largest U.S. automaker will have three jets still in use, he said.
Ford, the No. 2 U.S. automaker, also is exploring the sale of its five corporate jets, Mark Truby, a spokesman for the Dearborn, Michigan-based company, said yesterday.
GM's decision on returning two additional planes was made before criticism this week from some members of Congress about GM Chief Executive Officer Rick Wagoner, Ford CEO Alan Mulally and Chrysler's Robert Nardelli flying in private jets to hearings in Washington to ask for a bailout, Wilkinson said.
The company has cut back on travel, using methods such as more video conferences, and doesn't need as many jets, he said.
GM rose 18 cents, or 6.3 percent, to $3.06 yesterday in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. The stock has declined 88 percent this year, the most among the 30 companies in the Dow Jones Industrial Average.
Declining Sales
The automaker is scaling back production after its U.S. sales of cars and light trucks tumbled 45 percent in October, part of a 20 percent decline so far this year.
The plants affected by yesterday's announcement are in Orion Township, Michigan; Lordstown, Ohio; Fairfax, Kansas; and Wentzville, Missouri. The Michigan and Ohio factories will be idled the week of Jan. 5, and the Kansas and Michigan facilities the following week.
GM will also shut its engineering operations in Warren, Michigan, and vehicle test facilities in Arizona and Michigan on Dec. 19, four days earlier than initially planned, to save money, Wilkinson said. The employees are being asked to use vacation days, he said.
Those actions follow GM's announcement Nov. 18 that it would idle five plants for as long as two weeks and limit overtime.
In addition, GM said on Nov. 7 that it would shut down production at eight plants through the beginning of February and permanently slow production at 10 factories, eliminating 3,600 jobs, starting in January and February. Those actions were part of a plan to cut an additional $5 billion after GM said it may run out of cash to pay its bills by year-end.
`Customers Are Waiting'
``The longer the debate goes on in Washington, the longer the stall on sales: Customers are waiting it out to see what's going to happen,'' said Dennis Virag, president of Automotive Consulting Group in Ann Arbor, Michigan. ``GM needs to take these production cuts.''
Ron Gettelfinger, president of the United Auto Workers, said his union is ``at the bargaining table every day working on things to make these companies, to put them in better shape.'' The UAW leader spoke in an interview on Bloomberg Television's ``Political Capital with Al Hunt.''
Gettelfinger said he backs a ``low-interest bridge loan'' to the automakers to keep them out of bankruptcy.
GM is still negotiating local agreements with the UAW at 19 plants. The automaker has eliminated about $500 million in U.S. union-related annual costs by hiring out jobs such as janitors and getting more flexibility from remaining workers.
The company said on Nov. 17 that it also has cut expenses by paying fewer workers who are idled by plant closings and don't have a new job. The so-called Jobs Bank has fallen to about 1,000 workers, after peaking at more than 7,000 before the 2007 accord.
BLOOMBERG
Nov. 22 (Bloomberg) -- General Motors Corp., under pressure after Congress delayed action on automaker aid, is idling four plants for an additional week, extending the shutdown of an engineering center and returning some corporate jets.
The closure of a truck factory in Oshawa, Ontario, is also being moved up by two months to May 14, Tony Sapienza, a spokesman for Detroit-based GM, said yesterday. The plants that will have the extra shutdown week in January are in Michigan, Ohio, Kansas and Missouri.
GM, which has said it may run short of operating cash by the end of this year, acted a day after Democratic leaders in Congress put off deciding on loans to automakers until next month. Congressional leaders want GM, Ford and Chrysler LLC to make a case for the help.
``At this point, GM is not thinking about 2015, they are thinking about 2009,'' said Mike Robinet, an analyst at CSM Worldwide Inc. in Northville, Michigan. ``Ninety percent of their decisions are focused on what they need do to bolster revenue and save cash.''
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, told the automakers in a letter yesterday that they must provide ``a forthright, documented assessment'' of their current operating cash position, short-term funding needs ``and how they will meet the financing needs associated with the plan to ensure the companies' long-term viability.''
Pelosi told reporters that even if the automakers fail to make a convincing case, Congress must do something to help them.
Corporate Jets
GM is in the process of returning two leased corporate jets after sending back two others in September, said Tom Wilkinson, a company spokesman. The largest U.S. automaker will have three jets still in use, he said.
Ford, the No. 2 U.S. automaker, also is exploring the sale of its five corporate jets, Mark Truby, a spokesman for the Dearborn, Michigan-based company, said yesterday.
GM's decision on returning two additional planes was made before criticism this week from some members of Congress about GM Chief Executive Officer Rick Wagoner, Ford CEO Alan Mulally and Chrysler's Robert Nardelli flying in private jets to hearings in Washington to ask for a bailout, Wilkinson said.
The company has cut back on travel, using methods such as more video conferences, and doesn't need as many jets, he said.
GM rose 18 cents, or 6.3 percent, to $3.06 yesterday in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. The stock has declined 88 percent this year, the most among the 30 companies in the Dow Jones Industrial Average.
Declining Sales
The automaker is scaling back production after its U.S. sales of cars and light trucks tumbled 45 percent in October, part of a 20 percent decline so far this year.
The plants affected by yesterday's announcement are in Orion Township, Michigan; Lordstown, Ohio; Fairfax, Kansas; and Wentzville, Missouri. The Michigan and Ohio factories will be idled the week of Jan. 5, and the Kansas and Michigan facilities the following week.
GM will also shut its engineering operations in Warren, Michigan, and vehicle test facilities in Arizona and Michigan on Dec. 19, four days earlier than initially planned, to save money, Wilkinson said. The employees are being asked to use vacation days, he said.
Those actions follow GM's announcement Nov. 18 that it would idle five plants for as long as two weeks and limit overtime.
In addition, GM said on Nov. 7 that it would shut down production at eight plants through the beginning of February and permanently slow production at 10 factories, eliminating 3,600 jobs, starting in January and February. Those actions were part of a plan to cut an additional $5 billion after GM said it may run out of cash to pay its bills by year-end.
`Customers Are Waiting'
``The longer the debate goes on in Washington, the longer the stall on sales: Customers are waiting it out to see what's going to happen,'' said Dennis Virag, president of Automotive Consulting Group in Ann Arbor, Michigan. ``GM needs to take these production cuts.''
Ron Gettelfinger, president of the United Auto Workers, said his union is ``at the bargaining table every day working on things to make these companies, to put them in better shape.'' The UAW leader spoke in an interview on Bloomberg Television's ``Political Capital with Al Hunt.''
Gettelfinger said he backs a ``low-interest bridge loan'' to the automakers to keep them out of bankruptcy.
GM is still negotiating local agreements with the UAW at 19 plants. The automaker has eliminated about $500 million in U.S. union-related annual costs by hiring out jobs such as janitors and getting more flexibility from remaining workers.
The company said on Nov. 17 that it also has cut expenses by paying fewer workers who are idled by plant closings and don't have a new job. The so-called Jobs Bank has fallen to about 1,000 workers, after peaking at more than 7,000 before the 2007 accord.
BLOOMBERG
Citigroup May End Up With Government Rescue After Stock Skids
Citigroup May End Up With Government Rescue After Stock Skids
Nov. 22 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. government may step in to rescue Citigroup Inc. after a crisis in confidence erased half the bank’s stock-market value in three days, according to investors and analysts.
Citigroup’s $2 trillion of assets dwarfs companies such as American International Group Inc. that got support from the U.S. government this year. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke may favor a rescue to avoid the chaotic aftermath of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.’s bankruptcy in September.
“Citi is in the category of ‘too big to fail,’” said Michael Holland, chairman and founder of Holland & Co. in New York, which oversees $4 billion. “There is a commitment from this administration and the next to do what it takes to save Citi.”
One option is for the Federal Reserve and U.S. Treasury to create a special vehicle to purchase bad assets from Citi. The Fed has already erected several such funds, such as the Commercial Paper Funding Facility, to provide liquidity to the financial system. Typically, the Treasury would provide some first-loss equity or insurance fee, such as $50 billion provided to the CPFF, to protect the central bank and give the fiscal authority a stake.
The arrangement allows the Fed to leverage the money provided by the Treasury with loans, enabling the purchase of assets worth a multiple of the money. Funding the purchases with loans makes them less onerous to the U.S. budget.
Working Relationship
“That is the working relationship they have settled into with the Fed providing $1 trillion of the funding and the Treasury providing the equity tranche,” said Lou Crandall, chief economist at Wrightson ICAP LLC in Jersey City, New Jersey.
While Citigroup executives say the company has adequate capital and liquidity to ride out the crisis, its tumbling share price may shake the confidence of creditors, clients and rating companies. A similar scenario played out at Lehman, when Chief Executive Officer Richard Fuld declared the firm was “on the right track” five days before the firm went bankrupt.
“The market may be implying some sort of regulatory intervention,” Jason Goldberg, a former Lehman analyst who now works at Barclays Capital in New York, wrote in a note to clients yesterday. “In situations where the government has stepped in, the equity holders have not fared well.”
Pandit’s Conference Call
Citigroup CEO Vikram Pandit told employees yesterday that he doesn’t plan to break up the company, aiming to reassure workers as the stock resumed its skid. Citigroup shares dropped 94 cents, or 20 percent, to $3.77 at 4:08 p.m. in New York, giving the company a market value of about $21 billion. The stock pared its loss after the close of official trading, fetching $4.07 as of 4:35 p.m.
Pandit and Chief Financial Officer Gary Crittenden, speaking on a worldwide conference call yesterday, also said they don’t expect to sell the Smith Barney brokerage unit, according to two people who listened to the call and declined to be identified because it wasn’t open to the public.
The call came as Citigroup’s board, led by Chairman Win Bischoff and independent director Richard Parsons, prepared to meet yesterday at the bank’s headquarters in New York, said a person familiar with the company’s plans who declined to be identified because the deliberations are private. Bischoff, interviewed at a conference in Portugal yesterday, declined to comment on any potential changes to the board.
“Providing stability” and “securing the future” are the themes of a new print advertisement that Citigroup plans to start running tomorrow in major markets in the U.S. and overseas. “Now, more than ever, you can feel confident that Citi never sleeps,” the ad reads.
No. 5 By Value
Once the biggest U.S. bank, with a market value of $274 billion at the end of 2006, Citigroup has now slipped to No. 5 behind Minneapolis-based U.S. Bancorp. A plan by 51-year-old Pandit this week to cut costs by shedding 52,000 jobs and an endorsement by billionaire Saudi investor Prince Alwaleed bin Talal didn’t assuage shareholders’ concern that bad loans and securities writedowns may extend a yearlong run of net losses totaling $20 billion.
“To be consistent with the last few government interventions, I don’t think Citigroup’s going to be allowed to fail,” said William Fitzpatrick, an analyst at Optique Capital Management Inc. in Milwaukee, which oversees about $1 billion and doesn’t own Citigroup shares. “This company’s too intertwined with the rest of the financial system to allow any further deterioration.”
Citigroup spokesman Michael Hanretta declined to comment. On the call yesterday with employees, Pandit said the company’s capital and liquidity are strong.
TARP Funds
Including a $25 billion capital injection from the U.S. Treasury under the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program, the company has at least $50 billion of capital above the amount required by regulators to qualify as “well capitalized.” Capital is the cushion banks must keep to absorb losses and protect depositors.
Deutsche Bank AG analyst Mike Mayo wrote in a report yesterday that the bank’s $25 billion of reserves, when combined with other resources, “should be enough to cover estimated cumulative losses of $50 billion on loans.’” Mayo rates the stock “hold” and has a $9 price target.
“With Citi being as big as they are, the government will make a special case and step in and find another reason to dispose of more TARP funds,” said Matt McCormick, a portfolio manager and banking analyst at Bahl & Gaynor Investment Counsel in Cincinnati, which manages about $2.9 billion and doesn’t own Citigroup stock or debt.
Deposits Are Safe
Pandit was appointed last December to succeed Charles O. “Chuck” Prince, who was ousted as mortgage-bond writedowns saddled the bank with a record fourth-quarter loss of almost $10 billion. Prince was the handpicked successor of former Chairman and CEO Sanford “Sandy” Weill, who built the company through a series of acquisitions over 17 years before stepping down in 2003.
Bischoff, 67, was Citigroup’s top executive in Europe until he was named chairman when Pandit became CEO.
Bank employees have been telling customers their deposits are safe, and so far corporate clients haven’t moved their money elsewhere, said three people familiar with the matter who declined to be identified because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly about the accounts.
Crittenden, 50, has told colleagues it would be unwise to make hasty decisions to dispose of good businesses to satisfy investor demands for a show of action, one person familiar with the matter said.
BLOOMBERG
Nov. 22 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. government may step in to rescue Citigroup Inc. after a crisis in confidence erased half the bank’s stock-market value in three days, according to investors and analysts.
Citigroup’s $2 trillion of assets dwarfs companies such as American International Group Inc. that got support from the U.S. government this year. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke may favor a rescue to avoid the chaotic aftermath of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.’s bankruptcy in September.
“Citi is in the category of ‘too big to fail,’” said Michael Holland, chairman and founder of Holland & Co. in New York, which oversees $4 billion. “There is a commitment from this administration and the next to do what it takes to save Citi.”
One option is for the Federal Reserve and U.S. Treasury to create a special vehicle to purchase bad assets from Citi. The Fed has already erected several such funds, such as the Commercial Paper Funding Facility, to provide liquidity to the financial system. Typically, the Treasury would provide some first-loss equity or insurance fee, such as $50 billion provided to the CPFF, to protect the central bank and give the fiscal authority a stake.
The arrangement allows the Fed to leverage the money provided by the Treasury with loans, enabling the purchase of assets worth a multiple of the money. Funding the purchases with loans makes them less onerous to the U.S. budget.
Working Relationship
“That is the working relationship they have settled into with the Fed providing $1 trillion of the funding and the Treasury providing the equity tranche,” said Lou Crandall, chief economist at Wrightson ICAP LLC in Jersey City, New Jersey.
While Citigroup executives say the company has adequate capital and liquidity to ride out the crisis, its tumbling share price may shake the confidence of creditors, clients and rating companies. A similar scenario played out at Lehman, when Chief Executive Officer Richard Fuld declared the firm was “on the right track” five days before the firm went bankrupt.
“The market may be implying some sort of regulatory intervention,” Jason Goldberg, a former Lehman analyst who now works at Barclays Capital in New York, wrote in a note to clients yesterday. “In situations where the government has stepped in, the equity holders have not fared well.”
Pandit’s Conference Call
Citigroup CEO Vikram Pandit told employees yesterday that he doesn’t plan to break up the company, aiming to reassure workers as the stock resumed its skid. Citigroup shares dropped 94 cents, or 20 percent, to $3.77 at 4:08 p.m. in New York, giving the company a market value of about $21 billion. The stock pared its loss after the close of official trading, fetching $4.07 as of 4:35 p.m.
Pandit and Chief Financial Officer Gary Crittenden, speaking on a worldwide conference call yesterday, also said they don’t expect to sell the Smith Barney brokerage unit, according to two people who listened to the call and declined to be identified because it wasn’t open to the public.
The call came as Citigroup’s board, led by Chairman Win Bischoff and independent director Richard Parsons, prepared to meet yesterday at the bank’s headquarters in New York, said a person familiar with the company’s plans who declined to be identified because the deliberations are private. Bischoff, interviewed at a conference in Portugal yesterday, declined to comment on any potential changes to the board.
“Providing stability” and “securing the future” are the themes of a new print advertisement that Citigroup plans to start running tomorrow in major markets in the U.S. and overseas. “Now, more than ever, you can feel confident that Citi never sleeps,” the ad reads.
No. 5 By Value
Once the biggest U.S. bank, with a market value of $274 billion at the end of 2006, Citigroup has now slipped to No. 5 behind Minneapolis-based U.S. Bancorp. A plan by 51-year-old Pandit this week to cut costs by shedding 52,000 jobs and an endorsement by billionaire Saudi investor Prince Alwaleed bin Talal didn’t assuage shareholders’ concern that bad loans and securities writedowns may extend a yearlong run of net losses totaling $20 billion.
“To be consistent with the last few government interventions, I don’t think Citigroup’s going to be allowed to fail,” said William Fitzpatrick, an analyst at Optique Capital Management Inc. in Milwaukee, which oversees about $1 billion and doesn’t own Citigroup shares. “This company’s too intertwined with the rest of the financial system to allow any further deterioration.”
Citigroup spokesman Michael Hanretta declined to comment. On the call yesterday with employees, Pandit said the company’s capital and liquidity are strong.
TARP Funds
Including a $25 billion capital injection from the U.S. Treasury under the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program, the company has at least $50 billion of capital above the amount required by regulators to qualify as “well capitalized.” Capital is the cushion banks must keep to absorb losses and protect depositors.
Deutsche Bank AG analyst Mike Mayo wrote in a report yesterday that the bank’s $25 billion of reserves, when combined with other resources, “should be enough to cover estimated cumulative losses of $50 billion on loans.’” Mayo rates the stock “hold” and has a $9 price target.
“With Citi being as big as they are, the government will make a special case and step in and find another reason to dispose of more TARP funds,” said Matt McCormick, a portfolio manager and banking analyst at Bahl & Gaynor Investment Counsel in Cincinnati, which manages about $2.9 billion and doesn’t own Citigroup stock or debt.
Deposits Are Safe
Pandit was appointed last December to succeed Charles O. “Chuck” Prince, who was ousted as mortgage-bond writedowns saddled the bank with a record fourth-quarter loss of almost $10 billion. Prince was the handpicked successor of former Chairman and CEO Sanford “Sandy” Weill, who built the company through a series of acquisitions over 17 years before stepping down in 2003.
Bischoff, 67, was Citigroup’s top executive in Europe until he was named chairman when Pandit became CEO.
Bank employees have been telling customers their deposits are safe, and so far corporate clients haven’t moved their money elsewhere, said three people familiar with the matter who declined to be identified because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly about the accounts.
Crittenden, 50, has told colleagues it would be unwise to make hasty decisions to dispose of good businesses to satisfy investor demands for a show of action, one person familiar with the matter said.
BLOOMBERG
Fed: Φόβοι από τη μείωση της καταναλωτικής ζήτησης
Fed: Φόβοι από τη μείωση της καταναλωτικής ζήτησης
Σε επιφυλακή βρίσκονται αξιωματούχοι της Φέντεραλ Ριζέρβ και της κεντρικής τράπεζας της Ιαπωνίας απέναντι στο ενδεχόμενο αποπληθωρισμού, προσπαθώντας να καταλήξουν σε τρόπους αντιμετώπισής του, καθώς τα επιτόκια πλησιάζουν μηδενικά επίπεδα.
Ο Τζέιμς Μπάλαρντ, πρόεδρος της ομοσπονδιακής τράπεζας του Σεν Λιούις, δήλωσε ότι η Fed ενδεχομένως να στραφεί σε κινήσεις νομισματικής πολιτικής που βασίζονται κυρίως σε «ενέσεις» ρευστότητας στο τραπεζικό σύστημα.
Ο διοικητής της κεντρικής τράπεζας της Ιαπωνίας, Μασαάκι Σιρακάουα, τόνισε ότι τέτοιου είδους κινήσεις ενίσχυσης ρευστότητας βοήθησαν την Ιαπωνία να ξεπεράσει την περίοδο αποπληθωρισμού που είχε διάρκεια δέκα ετών και άρχισε προς τα τέλη της δεκαετίας του '90, χωρίς όμως να σχολιάζει κατά πόσον μια τέτοια κίνηση θα ήταν η ιδανική σε αυτή τη φάση οικονομικής επιβράδυνσης που οφείλεται στη διεθνή χρηματοοικονομική κρίση.
Οι κεντρικοί τραπεζίτες, που πριν από μερικούς μήνες προσπαθούσαν να κρατήσουν υπό έλεγχο την πορεία του πληθωρισμού -ο οποίος «κάλπαζε» λόγω της ανόδου των τιμών στα εμπορεύματα- καταβάλλουν πλέον προσπάθειες, ώστε να αποτρέψουν τον κίνδυνο η κρίση στις αγορές να εξελιχθεί σε ένα φαύλο κύκλο ραγδαίας μείωσης των τιμών και οικονομικής παραγωγής.
Η καταναλωτική ζήτηση «βουλιάζει» σχεδόν σε όλες τις βιομηχανικά ανεπτυγμένες χώρες και οι τιμές καταναλωτή στις ΗΠΑ κατέγραψαν τη μεγαλύτερη μείωση στην ιστορία τον Οκτώβριο, όμως ο κ. Μπάλαρντ θεωρεί ότι ο αποπληθωρισμός αποτελεί μακρινό κίνδυνο.
Ηδη η Fed και άλλες κεντρικές τράπεζες ανά τον κόσμο στηρίζουν το σύστημα με τακτικές ενέσεις μετρητών, ώστε να τονώσουν το διατραπεζικό δανεισμό. Αλλά αυτά τα κεφάλαια δανειοδοτούνται με κάποιο κόστος, ενώ, στην περίπτωση της Ιαπωνίας, οι τράπεζες είχαν δεχθεί δωρεάν ρευστότητα.
Την ίδια στιγμή, η Goldman Sachs αναθεώρησε προς τα κάτω τις προβλέψεις της για την αμερικανική οικονομία, κάνοντας λόγο για βαθύτερη ύφεση. Η Goldman προβλέπει 3% και 1% εξασθένηση του ΑΕΠ στα δύο επόμενα τρίμηνα, καθώς και αύξηση της ανεργίας στο 9% μέχρι το τέταρτο τρίμηνο του 2009.
Τέλος, ο πρόεδρος της ομοσπονδιακής τράπεζας του Ρίτσμοντ, Τζέφρι Λάκερ, θεωρεί ότι είναι λογικό να αναμένεται ανάκαμψη της αμερικανικής οικονομίας εντός του 2009, προειδοποιώντας για ταυτόχρονους πληθωριστικούς κινδύνους.
Λιγότερο αισιόδοξοι είναι οι οικονομολόγοι της ομοσπονδιακής τράπεζας της Φιλαδέλφειας, εκτιμώντας ότι οι κίνδυνοι επιδείνωσης της αμερικανικής οικονομίας έχουν ενισχυθεί, εν μέρει εξαιτίας της αύξησης των κατασχέσεων.
NAFTEMPORIKI
Σε επιφυλακή βρίσκονται αξιωματούχοι της Φέντεραλ Ριζέρβ και της κεντρικής τράπεζας της Ιαπωνίας απέναντι στο ενδεχόμενο αποπληθωρισμού, προσπαθώντας να καταλήξουν σε τρόπους αντιμετώπισής του, καθώς τα επιτόκια πλησιάζουν μηδενικά επίπεδα.
Ο Τζέιμς Μπάλαρντ, πρόεδρος της ομοσπονδιακής τράπεζας του Σεν Λιούις, δήλωσε ότι η Fed ενδεχομένως να στραφεί σε κινήσεις νομισματικής πολιτικής που βασίζονται κυρίως σε «ενέσεις» ρευστότητας στο τραπεζικό σύστημα.
Ο διοικητής της κεντρικής τράπεζας της Ιαπωνίας, Μασαάκι Σιρακάουα, τόνισε ότι τέτοιου είδους κινήσεις ενίσχυσης ρευστότητας βοήθησαν την Ιαπωνία να ξεπεράσει την περίοδο αποπληθωρισμού που είχε διάρκεια δέκα ετών και άρχισε προς τα τέλη της δεκαετίας του '90, χωρίς όμως να σχολιάζει κατά πόσον μια τέτοια κίνηση θα ήταν η ιδανική σε αυτή τη φάση οικονομικής επιβράδυνσης που οφείλεται στη διεθνή χρηματοοικονομική κρίση.
Οι κεντρικοί τραπεζίτες, που πριν από μερικούς μήνες προσπαθούσαν να κρατήσουν υπό έλεγχο την πορεία του πληθωρισμού -ο οποίος «κάλπαζε» λόγω της ανόδου των τιμών στα εμπορεύματα- καταβάλλουν πλέον προσπάθειες, ώστε να αποτρέψουν τον κίνδυνο η κρίση στις αγορές να εξελιχθεί σε ένα φαύλο κύκλο ραγδαίας μείωσης των τιμών και οικονομικής παραγωγής.
Η καταναλωτική ζήτηση «βουλιάζει» σχεδόν σε όλες τις βιομηχανικά ανεπτυγμένες χώρες και οι τιμές καταναλωτή στις ΗΠΑ κατέγραψαν τη μεγαλύτερη μείωση στην ιστορία τον Οκτώβριο, όμως ο κ. Μπάλαρντ θεωρεί ότι ο αποπληθωρισμός αποτελεί μακρινό κίνδυνο.
Ηδη η Fed και άλλες κεντρικές τράπεζες ανά τον κόσμο στηρίζουν το σύστημα με τακτικές ενέσεις μετρητών, ώστε να τονώσουν το διατραπεζικό δανεισμό. Αλλά αυτά τα κεφάλαια δανειοδοτούνται με κάποιο κόστος, ενώ, στην περίπτωση της Ιαπωνίας, οι τράπεζες είχαν δεχθεί δωρεάν ρευστότητα.
Την ίδια στιγμή, η Goldman Sachs αναθεώρησε προς τα κάτω τις προβλέψεις της για την αμερικανική οικονομία, κάνοντας λόγο για βαθύτερη ύφεση. Η Goldman προβλέπει 3% και 1% εξασθένηση του ΑΕΠ στα δύο επόμενα τρίμηνα, καθώς και αύξηση της ανεργίας στο 9% μέχρι το τέταρτο τρίμηνο του 2009.
Τέλος, ο πρόεδρος της ομοσπονδιακής τράπεζας του Ρίτσμοντ, Τζέφρι Λάκερ, θεωρεί ότι είναι λογικό να αναμένεται ανάκαμψη της αμερικανικής οικονομίας εντός του 2009, προειδοποιώντας για ταυτόχρονους πληθωριστικούς κινδύνους.
Λιγότερο αισιόδοξοι είναι οι οικονομολόγοι της ομοσπονδιακής τράπεζας της Φιλαδέλφειας, εκτιμώντας ότι οι κίνδυνοι επιδείνωσης της αμερικανικής οικονομίας έχουν ενισχυθεί, εν μέρει εξαιτίας της αύξησης των κατασχέσεων.
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Βρετανία: Αυξάνονται οι κατασχέσεις σπιτιών από τράπεζες
Βρετανία: Αυξάνονται οι κατασχέσεις σπιτιών από τράπεζες
Ολοένα και περισσότεροι Βρετανοί δανειολήπτες χάνουν την κατοικία, παρά τις προσπάθειες της κυβέρνησης να βάλει φραγμό στις κατασχέσεις. Σύμφωνα με στοιχεία του Συμβουλίου Πιστωτών Στεγαστικών Δανείων, το τρίτο τρίμηνο του έτους κατασχέθηκαν από τις τράπεζες 11.300 σπίτια στη χώρα από 10.100 το δεύτερο τρίμηνο.
Αναλυτές προβλέπουν εκτίναξη του αριθμού των κατασχέσεων, καθώς εξακολουθεί να αυξάνεται ο αριθμός των νοικοκυριών που δυσκολεύονται να αποπληρώσουν τα δάνειά τους. Τον Σεπτέμβριο το 1,44 των νοικοκυριών που έχουν λάβει ενυπόθηκο δάνειο είχαν καθυστερήσει τις δόσεις τους για περισσότερους από τρεις μήνες.
Την ίδια ώρα η κυβέρνηση εμφανίζεται αποφασισμένη να ασκήσει πιέσεις στις τράπεζες. Ο υπουργός Οικονομίας, Άλιστερ Ντάρλινγκ, δήλωσε ότι δεν αποκλείεται η κυβέρνηση να υποχρεώσει τους πιστωτικούς ομίλους να παράσχουν δάνεια σε μικρές επιχειρήσεις, που έχουν πληγεί από την κρίση.
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Ολοένα και περισσότεροι Βρετανοί δανειολήπτες χάνουν την κατοικία, παρά τις προσπάθειες της κυβέρνησης να βάλει φραγμό στις κατασχέσεις. Σύμφωνα με στοιχεία του Συμβουλίου Πιστωτών Στεγαστικών Δανείων, το τρίτο τρίμηνο του έτους κατασχέθηκαν από τις τράπεζες 11.300 σπίτια στη χώρα από 10.100 το δεύτερο τρίμηνο.
Αναλυτές προβλέπουν εκτίναξη του αριθμού των κατασχέσεων, καθώς εξακολουθεί να αυξάνεται ο αριθμός των νοικοκυριών που δυσκολεύονται να αποπληρώσουν τα δάνειά τους. Τον Σεπτέμβριο το 1,44 των νοικοκυριών που έχουν λάβει ενυπόθηκο δάνειο είχαν καθυστερήσει τις δόσεις τους για περισσότερους από τρεις μήνες.
Την ίδια ώρα η κυβέρνηση εμφανίζεται αποφασισμένη να ασκήσει πιέσεις στις τράπεζες. Ο υπουργός Οικονομίας, Άλιστερ Ντάρλινγκ, δήλωσε ότι δεν αποκλείεται η κυβέρνηση να υποχρεώσει τους πιστωτικούς ομίλους να παράσχουν δάνεια σε μικρές επιχειρήσεις, που έχουν πληγεί από την κρίση.
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LUKOIL: Σε διαπραγματεύσεις για εξαγορά μεριδίου στη Repsol
LUKOIL: Σε διαπραγματεύσεις για εξαγορά μεριδίου στη Repsol
Την εξαγορά μεριδίου έως και 28% στην ισπανική Repsol επιδιώκει η ρωσική LUKOIL. Η ισπανική τράπεζα La Caixa (της οποίας η θυγατρική Criteria συμμετέχει με 14% στη Repsol) επιβεβαίωσε πληροφορίες ότι βρίσκεται σε διαπραγματεύσεις με τη ρωσική πετρελαιοβιομηχανία. Όπως διευκρίνισε συζητεί την πώληση μετοχικού μεριδίου 6%.
Εκπρόσωπος της εταιρείας πάντως άφησε να εννοηθεί ότι η συμφωνία εξαρτάται σε μεγάλο βαθμό από το εάν θα δεχθεί η ισπανική κατασκευαστική Sacyr Vallehermoso να πωλήσει επίσης στη LUKOIL το μερίδιο 20%, που έχει στην ισπανική πετρελαιοβιομηχανία.
Η ρωσική εταιρεία ευελπιστεί να έρθει σε συμφωνία τόσο με την La Caixa όσο και με Sacyr και σε αυτό το 26% που θα εξασφαλίσει να προσθέσει μετοχικό μερίδιο 2% από την ασφαλιστική Mutua Madrilena.
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Την εξαγορά μεριδίου έως και 28% στην ισπανική Repsol επιδιώκει η ρωσική LUKOIL. Η ισπανική τράπεζα La Caixa (της οποίας η θυγατρική Criteria συμμετέχει με 14% στη Repsol) επιβεβαίωσε πληροφορίες ότι βρίσκεται σε διαπραγματεύσεις με τη ρωσική πετρελαιοβιομηχανία. Όπως διευκρίνισε συζητεί την πώληση μετοχικού μεριδίου 6%.
Εκπρόσωπος της εταιρείας πάντως άφησε να εννοηθεί ότι η συμφωνία εξαρτάται σε μεγάλο βαθμό από το εάν θα δεχθεί η ισπανική κατασκευαστική Sacyr Vallehermoso να πωλήσει επίσης στη LUKOIL το μερίδιο 20%, που έχει στην ισπανική πετρελαιοβιομηχανία.
Η ρωσική εταιρεία ευελπιστεί να έρθει σε συμφωνία τόσο με την La Caixa όσο και με Sacyr και σε αυτό το 26% που θα εξασφαλίσει να προσθέσει μετοχικό μερίδιο 2% από την ασφαλιστική Mutua Madrilena.
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Η Nikon ανακοίνωσε 1.500 απολύσεις συμβασιούχων.
Η Nikon ανακοίνωσε 1.500 απολύσεις συμβασιούχων.
Η θυγατρική της Nikon Corp στην Ταϊλάνδη απέλυσε 1.500 συμβασιούχους της στη χώρα, οι εξαγωγές της οποίας απειλούνται προοδευτικά, γράφει σήμερα Σάββατο η εφημερίδα The Bangkok Post.
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Η θυγατρική της Nikon Corp στην Ταϊλάνδη απέλυσε 1.500 συμβασιούχους της στη χώρα, οι εξαγωγές της οποίας απειλούνται προοδευτικά, γράφει σήμερα Σάββατο η εφημερίδα The Bangkok Post.
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