Markets Drop as KKR Unit Delays Payment

(NEWSER) - Asian stocks fell yet again today as the subprime mortgage crisis continued to reverberate across global markets. The latest dip came when E*Trade Financial Corp and Bank of America announced the credit crisis was hurting earnings, Bloomberg reports. The biggest fear is that the rising cost of credit will halt consumer spending and trigger a global slowdown. More»

Fate of pending deals may foretell future of private equity

(NEWSER) - Kolhberg Kravis Roberts is pushing forward with some of the biggest deals in US history, but the iconic buyout firm finds itself under unprecedented scrutiny. Analysts say the huge deals KKR has pending will be a test of the struggling credit markets, the Washington Post reports: If they don't go through, the age of private equity may be over. More»

Private equity firm denies reports its IPO will be delayed

(NEWSER) - The Times of London claims that buyout firm KKR has postponed plans for a $1.25B float and a public listing because of the fallout from turbulent credit markets. The company had planned its IPO this September but has reportedly pulled back due to waning investor confidence following the subprime collapse. KKR, however, claims that the IPO is continuing full steam ahead. More»

Dow sinks below 13,000 as credit tremors continue

(NEWSER) - Major indexes sank again after a volatile day, as analysts continue to speculate on a possible interest-rate cut. The New York Fed put about $7 billion into the system with an overnight repurchase agreement, which put an early bounce in the Dow before it lost 167.45 later in the day to close below its historic 13,000-point benchmark at 12861.47, mainly on credit jitters that bled into Asian markets overnight. More»

Subprime mortgage damage, uncertainty continue to spread

(NEWSER) - European markets plunged today over worries about the spreading subprime mortgage crisis. Analysts downgraded UBS and Deutsche Bank, which dropped, and all 14 open Western European exchanges lost ground, echoing the Asian markets' earlier retreat. "There's a lot of uncertainty about what's going on and who has lost money from the credit-market debacle," says a Swiss strategist. More»