Bear Stearns rescue: markets tumble
Updated on 17 March 2008
Stock markets across the world have fallen following the emergency takeover of the American investment bank Bear Stearns.
But the speedy takeover hasn't impressed the markets - the difficulties at one of Wall Street's biggest names is a sign that the so-called credit crunch is worsening.
It's a shocking and miserable Monday for the American economy and rest of the financial world. The sale of Bear Stearns is an almighty shock to the international banking system, which is already reeling from the credit crunch.
And it's the knockdown price that's stunned so many. JP Morgan acquired Bear Stearns for just two dollars a share - one tenth of the bank's market price on Friday.
But that was before this pillar of the US financial system had to rely on emergency funding from the Federal Reserve to stay afloat, because of its enormous losses in the American mortgage market - a bail out the only way to prevent this 85-year-old institution from going bust.
Henry Paulson, US treasury secretary said:
"When you go through a period like this, the policymakers need to balance various consequences. The right decision here, I am convinced, was the decision that the Fed made, which was to do things, work with market participants to minimise the disruptions."
"I think the market will be relatively relaxed that this is a specific probem at Bear Stearns rather than a systemic failure of the whole system."Henk Potts of Barclays stockbrokers
This may be America's Northern Rock but it's been handled completely differently. The Fed's unhesitating intervention not only to approve the breathtakingly swift sale of Bear Stearns, but also to cut interest rates again - to 3.25 per cent.
Even so that attempt at reassurance didn't stop the panic. The dollar falling to a 12.5 year low and stock markets across Asia plunging as fear spread that global financial meltdown might be on the cards.
And here the FSTE was badly hit. The index of the top 100 companies falling 2 per cent in early trading. Banking stocks the worst affected - with Halifax and Bank of Scotland shares losing 11 per cent; Royal Bank of Scotland shares down 7 per cent and Barclays dropping 5 per cent when the markets opened.
Henk Potts, of Barclays stockbrokers said:
"I think the market will be relatively relaxed that this is a specific probem at Bear Stearns rather than a systemic failure of the whole system. It's certainly sent a shock through it, but not the wholesale panic you'd expect if there was anticipation of a failure of the world financial system."
But the mood in the city is bleak. The Centre for Economic and Business Research predicting that banks, estate agents and other British firms will cut 10,000 jobs this year.
Already it's hurting the economy as consumers find their mortgage offers being withdrawn and businesses see loans withheld. The question on everyone's lips - will any more banks fall victim to the credit crunch and is there worse to come?
