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Will Lehman Be the Crunch's Next Victim?  

Posted Mar 18, 08 4:52 AM CDT in Business    Most Covered

(newser) – After a collapse of confidence sank Bear Stearns last week, some traders are betting that Lehman Brothers will be the next victim of the credit crunch. Its stock went on a rollercoaster ride yesterday—plunging 40% at one point and closing down 19%, the biggest fall since the firm went public. But analysts, wary of giving vultures more reasons to circle, are watching what they say about the brokerage firm, Marketwatch reports.

"Just commenting on it seems to give it more credence," a professor at Harvard Business School said about Lehman's supposed woes. Many on the Street think that Lehman is in better shape than Bear Stearns was, and today's first-quarter earnings report will be watched closely. But the greatest threat to Lehman might be the waning confidence of its investors, rather than the state of its finances. At that point, said one analyst, "no level of liquidity will be sufficient."

Source MarketWatch

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Will Lehman Be the Crunch's Next Victim?
The headquarters of Lehman Brothers is shown on Monday, June 11, 2007 in New York.   (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
Will Lehman Be the Crunch's Next Victim?
Edward Sweeney, left, of Lehman Brothers MarketMakers and Peter Tuchman look at a monitor from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Friday, Mar. 14, 2008.   (AP Photo/Henny Ray Abrams)
Will Lehman Be the Crunch's Next Victim?
Marco Picone, right, and Michael McDonnell, both of Lehman Brothers MarketMakers consult on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Friday, March 14, 2008.   (AP Photo/Henny Ray Abrams)
Will Lehman Be the Crunch's Next Victim?
Portraits of the founders of Lehman Brothers adorn the walls of the investment bank's offices on Wall Street. (NYC20928)   (Magnum Photos)
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Wall Street  • subprime crisis  • Bear Stearns  • Lehman Brothers  • financial markets  • brokerage


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