Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Wonder why Goldman and Morgan Stanley were down even after AIG's bailout?

Given AIG's exposure to the credit default swap (CDS) market, I thought that their bailout would be cheered, instead the financials were DESTROYED today. Here's why:

THIS IS MARKET MANIPULATION IN ITS PUREST FORM! These funds will do anything for alpha. Granted I think financial stocks aren't worth a warm bucket of p*ss at this stage in our economic collapse, but they shouldn't be "euthanized" by these hedge funds like this.

I use the ugly term "euthanize" because this current process of eliminating weak financials (Fannie, Freddy, and now AIG) is completely unnatural in a properly functioning "market" (I use that term loosely given all these bailouts). I am all for shaking out the bad companies in an economy, but not in such a chaotic manner.

By continuously "bear raiding" banks' common stock, hedge funds are inducing a hastened ratings downgrade and a consequent short term liqidity crunch (AIG had to cough up $40 billion practically overnight because of a downgrade caused by these disorderly bear raids). These funds are not letting the market slowly destroy these stocks, rather they are exploiting relaxed short selling rules to hasten the "departure" of many weak players. In other words, manipulating stocks as they (not the market) see fit.

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