bonds

Stories 21 - 40 | << Prev   Next >>

Wall St. Plotting for Debt Doomsday

Prospect of default fraying nerves

(Newser) - As lawmakers scramble to hammer out a debt deal, Wall Street firms are working on ways to deal with America defaulting on its debt—and on ways to make a buck out of any upheaval. Treasury bonds function like a currency on Wall Street and default after the Aug. 2...

Cantor Has Up to $15K Bet on Government Default

It's just a teeny tiny conflict of interest, Jonathan Easley argues

(Newser) - As Eric Cantor last week negotiated an increase in the federal debt ceiling, he had between $1,000 and $15,000 invested in a fund that aggressively shorts US bonds, according to his latest financial disclosure statement. If Congress fails to raise the debt ceiling and the US defaults, the...

Fed Extends Bond Program
 Fed Extends Bond Program  
Jan 26, 2011 1:56 PM CST

Fed Extends Bond Program

Shrugs off good economic news, says employment still in trouble

(Newser) - The Federal Reserve unanimously agreed to extend its $600 billion Treasury bond-purchase program today, saying the economy isn't growing fast enough to lower unemployment. The decision came from a new lineup of voting members that includes two officials who have criticized the bond purchases. They have said the purchases could...

Bankers Now Think Citi Less Risky Than Goldman

Criticism sends Goldman debt costs higher

(Newser) - One is the most profitable, successful bank on Wall Street, the other came within a hairsbreadth of nationalization. Who would you rather lend money to? Apparently, right now investors are going with the latter. As of Monday, Goldman Sachs' debt was yielding 2.73%, to just 2.29% for Citigroup,...

Fed Earns Record $45B
 Fed Earns Record $45B 

Jan 12, 2010 1:22 AM CST

Fed Earns Record $45B

Efforts to save economy result in windfall

(Newser) - The Federal Reserve's efforts to keep the economy afloat last year earned it the highest profits in its 96-year history. The Fed—which funds itself and turns its earnings over to the Treasury—made a total of $45 billion last year, dwarfing the profits of many big banks. Interest on...

Congress Ups Nat'l Debt Ceiling to $12.4T

Bill would authorize Treasury to fund gov through Feb.

(Newser) - The Senate voted today to raise the ceiling on the government debt to $12.4 trillion, a massive increase over the current limit and a political problem that President Barack Obama has promised to address next year. The Senate's rare Christmas Eve vote, 60-39, follows House passage last week and...

$134B Bond Fraud May Be Mob Handiwork

US, Italian authorities blame organized crime for huge counterfeiting

(Newser) - The counterfeit bonds with a face value of $134 billion seized near the Swiss border are probably the work of the Mafia, say Italian and American secret services. The mystery surrounding the suitcase stuffed with fake US Treasury bonds deepened yesterday, after a blog revealed that police had released the...

$134B in Bonds Seized in Italy 'Clearly Fake'

US debt office tells conspiracy theorists to calm down

(Newser) - Conspiracy theorists, take note: The US bonds seized near the Swiss border with a face value of $134 billion "are clearly fakes," a Washington spokesman tells Bloomberg. Most securities are now issued electronically, only about $105 billion in bonds have yet to be surrendered, and the "Kennedy...

$134B Suitcase Could Be Huge Smuggling Scam
$134B Suitcase Could Be Huge Smuggling Scam
OPINION
Jun 17, 2009 8:40 AM CDT

$134B Suitcase Could Be Huge Smuggling Scam

Italy arrests men with enough US bonds to buy a few countries

(Newser) - Last week, Italian authorities detained two Japanese men attempting to cross the border into Switzerland carrying a suitcase stuffed with $134 billion in US bonds. The men are either massive counterfeiters or—even scarier—the fourth-largest creditors of the US Treasury, with enough cash to buy three or four countries....

Smugglers Caught Sneaking $134B in Bonds Out of Italy

(Newser) - Two Japanese citizens were detained last week after allegedly trying to take $134 billion in undeclared US bonds from Italy to Switzerland, Bloomberg reports. Both countries are investigating the incident. “Italian authorities are in the midst of the investigation, and haven’t yet confirmed the details, including whether they...

Madoff Yanked $165M from London Branch Just Before Bust

Cash transferred to scammer vanished

(Newser) - A month before he came clean on his Ponzi scheme, Bernie Madoff sold $165 million in UK bonds from his London office and the money disappeared, the Independent reports. Madoff ordered a director of the London arm to transfer the money to his New York office so Madoff could use...

Shopping Mall Giant Goes Bankrupt

Second-largest U.S. mall owner can't refinance billions in debt

(Newser) - Chicago-based General Growth Properties, the second-largest US shopping mall owner, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy today after attempts to refinance more than $27 billion in debt failed, Bloomberg reports. The owner of more than 200 shopping malls owes a unit of Germany’s Commerzbank $2.6 billion, while bondholders are...

Feds Put the Squeeze on Auto Creditors

Billions of dollars in concessions sought from banks, bondholders

(Newser) - The government is pushing hard to wring billions of dollars in concessions from the creditors of General Motors and Chrysler, the Wall Street Journal reports. Insiders say Treasury has pushed GM to offer bondholders only stock in return for debt after it judged as too generous a deal involving stock,...

In Bankruptcy Maneuver, GM May Split in 2

If GM faces Chapter 11, a splitting of the company could avert disaster

(Newser) - General Motors executives and Treasury officials alike seem adamant that the company should avoid Chapter 11 bankruptcy at all costs, but bankruptcy scenarios are already crystallizing behind the scenes, BusinessWeek reports. One option calls for splitting the company into a “good GM,” which would emerge from bankruptcy with...

UK Fails to Sell Its Top Bonds
UK Fails to Sell Its Top Bonds
Mar 26, 2009 6:00 AM CDT

UK Fails to Sell Its Top Bonds

Auction of government debt falls short, casts doubt on Brown's call for 2nd stimulus

(Newser) - Britain's central bank yesterday failed to complete its auction of government bonds for the first time in over a decade, reports the Telegraph. The auction of 40-year gilts fell short a day after the Bank of England governor warned that the country could not afford a second fiscal stimulus, as...

Disgraced Credit Raters See Windfall in Fed Plan

Moody's, S&P could earn big rating Fed bond deals

(Newser) - Credit-rating companies faulted for their role in creating the financial crisis could rake in more than $1 billion in Ben Bernanke’s new plan to prop up the financial system, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Fed is planning $7 billion worth of bond deals, and they'll need the approval...

As Life Insurers Face Losses, Next Bailout Decision Looms

Life insurers, a key cog in capital markets, seek TARP funds

(Newser) - Life insurance companies, an oft-overlooked yet important cog in the financial infrastructure, haven’t been immune to tumbling markets, the Wall Street Journal reports, which are eroding both their portfolios and consumer confidence. A Dow Jones life insurance index is off 59% this year and 82% from its 2007 high,...

Next Bubble May Be in Treasuries
Next Bubble May Be
in Treasuries
ANALYSIS
Jan 6, 2009 8:15 PM CST

Next Bubble May Be in Treasuries

But the rest of the bond market is attractively priced

(Newser) - As the credit and stock markets collapsed, investors rushed to Treasuries as the safest possible bet. But the rush to safety could be fueling a bubble, writes Andrew Bary for Barrons. Yields have been plummeting, with 10-year notes at 2.4% and three-month bills selling last week for 0.05%....

Vindicated in 2008, Some Experts Foresee Gloomy '09

A few who called last year's calamities correctly see grim days ahead

(Newser) - Labeled overly pessimistic for years, a few Wall Street prognosticators became the oracles of 2008 by correctly predicting the unwinding of the global economy, the Wall Street Journal reports. The doomsayers correctly anticipated bank failures, stock market declines, and the housing market collapse of the second half of 2008. As...

Jittery About Loss, Investors Stuff Cash In 0% T-Bills

Willing to take nothing for their money

(Newser) - The results of yesterday’s short-term bond auction were staggering. Investors snapped up $30 billion worth of Treasuries at a 0% yield—essentially lending the government money for free, the New York Times reports. Earlier, some investors even accepted a negative yield to park their cash in three-month Treasury bills....

Stories 21 - 40 | << Prev   Next >>