Unter Berücksichtigung der Wahrheitsliebe von Banken (und deren "Sprechern"), liest sich dies ziemlich bedrohlich; lässt aber gleichzeitig das Gefühl der Genugtuung gegenüber den Zockerbanken hochkommen (Porsche zockt GS, MS, SocGen ab...)
__________________________________________________ http://biz.yahoo.com/rb/081028/...inancial_banks_volkswagen.html?.v=1
Reuters Morgan Stanley, SocGen, Goldman fall on VW worry Tuesday October 28, 1:33 pm ET
By Jean-Michel Belot and Jonathan Stempel PARIS/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - News), Goldman Sachs Group Inc (NYSE:GS - News) and France's Societe Generale (Paris:SOGN.PA - News) tumbled on Tuesday on speculation that the banks might be caught on the wrong side of a trade involving German automaker Volkswagen AG (XETRA:VOWG.DE - News).
ADVERTISEMENT Goldman declined to comment, but people inside the company said it had no Volkswagen losses. Morgan Stanley spokesman Mark Lake said that company has no exposure to the automaker. SocGen could not immediately be reached, but earlier Tuesday said it was sticking with its third-quarter earnings forecast.
Speculation that banks were caught in a "short squeeze" involving Volkswagen fanned worries about the industry's ability to weather a credit crisis that has led to the demise of several large financial companies and has prompted government interventions worldwide to avert a financial system collapse.
In afternoon trading, Morgan Stanley shares were down $1.54, or 11.2 percent, at $12.19, while Goldman fell $4.49, or 4.8 percent, to $88.39. The cost to insure both companies' debt against default rose.
SocGen shares were down 4.67 euros, or 12.3 percent, at 33.34 euros, and were the second-largest percentage decliner on France's benchmark CAC-40 index (Paris:^FCHI - News), Reuters data show. Credit Agricole SA (Paris:CAGR.PA - News) fell 13.4 percent.
"There have been several 'black swan' events occurring in the markets, and there are concerns that they will lead to large losses," said James Ellman, president of Seacliff Capital. "Black Swan" events are considered hard to predict and sometimes appear to have elements of randomness.
Volkswagen on Tuesday briefly became the world's largest company by market value, following weekend news that Porsche Automobil Holding SE (XETRA:PSHG-P.DE - News) had taken a stake of more than 74 percent after buying much of the floating stock.
This meant that fewer shares were available for trading, and prompted a short squeeze, forcing investors who had bet on a decline in VW shares to buy the stock. Volkswagen shares soared 425 euros or 81.7 percent to 945 euros; at one point they touched 1,005.01.
"Somebody out there was incredibly short, and they had their you-know-what handed to them," said Walter Todd, a portfolio manager at Greenwood Capital Associates LLC in Greenwood, South Carolina, which invests $1 billion.
An equity derivatives strategist who asked not to be named said many large market participants might have been caught because of the large number of shares Porsche took on.
Concern about Morgan Stanley were already elevated after Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc (Tokyo:8306.T - News) this week said it would raise up to $10.6 billion to replenish a depleted capital base. The bank is Japan's largest, and recently spent $9 billion on a 21 percent stake in Morgan Stanley.
David Trone, an analyst at Fox-Pitt Kelton, said Morgan Stanley shares may also face downward pressure stemming from "problematic 'self-fulfilling fear.'"
"Like peers that have either gone bankrupt or were forced to sell, we believe fundamentals were sound enough to overcome problem asset exposures, but there is no antidote for unbridled fear," Trone wrote. "Trading counterparties are crucial, because this revenue flow keeps the lights on."
In January, SocGen said it had fallen victim to the world's largest rogue trading scandal, unveiling 4.9 billion euros ($6.1 billion) of losses it said were caused by Jerome Kerviel, a 31-year-old junior trader.
Credit default swaps on Goldman widened 15 basis points to 310 basis points, or $310,000 per year for five years to insure $10 million of debt, Phoenix Partners Group said. The cost for Morgan Stanley widened 15 basis points to 415 basis points.
(1 euro = US$1.247)
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