Crew Capital Management Thoughts on Investment

Welcome to the Crew Capital Management Thoughts on Investment blog. At Crew Capital, investment education is key to how we work with our clients. We hope our conversation and analysis entice you to think further on your investment strategies and planning. For further discussion, please contact us at rjung@crewcapital.com

Thank you!
Robert F. Jung, CFA CPA*

*CPA inactve

Monday, March 23, 2009

Headline Financial News

U.S. government's troubled-asset plan relies on investors The U.S. government's three-pronged plan to get troubled assets off the books of financial institutions relies on the participation of private-sector investors. Many investors, however, are skeptical about doing business with the federal government after the outcry over bonuses at American International Group. The plan includes creating an entity backed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. to purchase loans. The Treasury will expand the Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility to include "legacy" assets. Plus, a public-private investment fund will be established to buy securities. The Wall Street Journal (21 Mar.) , Financial Times (23 Mar.) , The New York Times (22 Mar.) , BusinessWeek (22 Mar.)

Geithner: "Stronger system" is goal of troubled-asset plan: U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner explains his plan for removing troubled assets from the balance sheets of financial institutions. Geithner says the private sector will determine prices for the assets, while taxpayers will benefit from any upside. "Our goal must be a stronger system that can provide the credit necessary for recovery, and that also ensures that we never find ourselves in this type of financial crisis again," he writes. The Wall Street Journal (23 Mar.)

Bernanke: Changes to capital, accounting rules might be needed to ensure that the ups and downs of financial markets are not magnified, regulators might need to make changes to accounting and capital rules, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said. "Policymakers should review existing capital rules and accounting standards to determine whether these rules and standards could be modified to reduce their potential to have unduly procyclical effects without weakening their ability to achieve their fundamental objectives," he said. Bernanke also said the Fed's move to buy significant amounts of government debt and mortgage-related securities is an attempt to improve market conditions. The Wall Street Journal (20 Mar.)

Obama indicates he would reject tax on bonuses U.S. President Barack Obama said he will not "govern out of anger" as he implied that he would not support the 90% tax on bonuses to employees of American International Group and other companies that received rescue funds. Obama also acknowledged that he was surprised with how quickly the economy had soured. "I don't think that we anticipated how steep the decline would be," Obama said on CBS' "60 Minutes." BusinessWeek/The Associated Press (22 Mar.)

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