Credit Crisis

Companies start competing for bailout money

This is absolutely a joke.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The bailout is now the hottest lobbying game in town.

Insurers, automakers and American subsidiaries of foreign banks all want the Treasury Department to cut them a piece of the largest government rescue in U.S. history.

The betting is that many with their hands out will be successful, especially with financial markets in a stomach-churning dive and predictions the economy is about to tumble into a deep recession.

It was US subprime mortgages, then it was money markets in US, then it was...

It was the US subprime mortgages, then it was money markets in the US, then it was money markets in the Europe, then it was the collapse of Lehman Brothers, the collapse of Washington Mutual, the run on Bank of East Asia, the collapse of Fortis, the $700bn bailout of the US, ... , and is now the collapse of the Hypo Real Estate rescue and the gloom in the Chinese art auction.

If the rest of the world were to go through what the US had to go through, I would not know if we, the rest of the world, would ever do better than what the US has done.

China Could Be Dragged Down by Wall Street Crash: William Pesek

What did I say then?

Observer: German joke | FT

As Germany's Commerzbank slashes jobs, wacky whispers and gallows humour continue to emanate from its offices.

On Wednesday, Observer brought news of a banker who, having learnt most of the news about his future through leaks to the press, dubbed it Colander Bank. Now a colleague, reminding us it's also known as Comedy Bank, recounts internal confusion over the winding down of trading positions. One team was apparently sent home, then brought back to sort out the mess.

more from FT

Commerzbank axed its ten-strong proprietary trading desk in London this week, only to call the traders back to ensure that their positions could be correctly closed | The Times

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