US Bailout Fund Gamble
So now we have the mega US government fund that will save the markets from imploding.
So now we have the mega US government fund that will save the markets from imploding.
A leading Chinese company has been given approval to lift its shareholding in Murchison Metals.
There's nothing more to be said about the markets last week except that we all survived, battered, bruised, shell shocked and worse if you were shareholders in some American companies no longer with us like Lehman Bros, Merrill Lynch, AIG, Macquarie, HBOS and a host of other financial stocks.
Very quietly compared to all the noise about the big bailout proposal from the US Government and the other move for the Fed to offer a lifeline to struggling mutual cash management funds, new steps to relieve distressed commodities markets were launched Friday by US regulators after Lehman and AIG woes triggered a wave of selling and emergency actions by exchanges earlier in the week.
Developments in the US financial system and the Bush Administration's plan to buy bad debts will no doubt be the key focus in the week ahead.
The US Federal Reserve's bailout of insurance giant American International Group (AIG) did little to ease the concerns of investors worldwide, Asian markets were deeply in the red, with Hong Kong's bourse down about seven per cent. The Australia share market took another massive beating yesterday.
Our market has made up all of yesterdays losses – up 181 or 4.3% - and is finishing the week strongly on the back of a strong rise on Wall Street overnight. Financials going gangbusters – up 7.7% - helped by Macquarie Group's 36% rise today and Babcock & Brown putting on 16.5%. The NAB is up 15.2%. This is unprecedented volatility in our markets. Fundamentals have gone out the window. Logic and science can't explain the movements induced by fear and panic.