Stories related to: Wachovia

Stocks plunged today due to the convergence of bad news across all sectors of industry against the backdrop of oil’s first surge over $140 a barrel, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Dow plummeted to a 2-year-low, shedding 358.41 to 11,453.42. The Nasdaq fell 79.89, settling at 2,321.37, and the S&P 500 fell 38.82 to close at 1,283.15. More »

Financials keyed major market losses as high-level personnel shuffles at Wachovia and Washington Mutual, plus a report by Standard and Poor that downgraded the ratings of several prominent banks, disconcerted investors, MarketWatch notes. The Dow lost 134.50 to settle at 12,503.82, and the Nasdaq lost 31.13, closing at 2,491.53. The S&P 500 lost 14.71, ending the day at 1,385.67. More »

Federal prosecutors have targeted Wachovia in an investigation into the use of money-exchange houses along the Mexican border to transfer money from US sales to Latin American drug lords, the Wall Street Journal reports. The bank invested heavily in the casas de cambio despite warnings that such firms were often used by drug cartels for money laundering. More »

Crude oil hit a new record high in trading today—$113.66 a barrel—as weary investors attempted to hedge against a tumbling dollar and oil shipments were disrupted around the world. Though the dollar is the main concern, supply problems, including OPEC's decision not to change its 2008 outlook and the closure of a top Mexican export terminal, didn't help, the AFP reports. More »

Stocks wobbled today, eventually posting modest losses as investors still processing GE’s poor results absorbed Wachovia's unexpected losses and steeled themselves for more disappointment from first-quarter earnings reports. The Dow ended the day down 23.36 at 12,302.06, the Nasdaq dropped 14.42 to 2,275.82, and the S&P 500 fell 4.51 to 1,328.32. More »

Wachovia reported a surprise first-quarter loss today 2 years after taking over a subprime-dealing savings and loan. The CEO of the fourth-largest US bank was “deeply disappointed” that the bank lost $393 million, or 20 cents a share; analysts had anticipated earnings of 40 cents a share, Bloomberg reports. Wachovia cut its dividend; it plans to raise $7 billion to replenish capital reserves by selling shares and axing 500 jobs. More »

Ailing bank Wachovia will get a $6 billion-$7 billion shot in the arm from outside investors, the Wall Street Journal reports. Specifics of the capital infusion, designed to help the company recover from the credit crisis, haven’t been finalized. Details may be revealed when the company reports first-quarter earnings Monday; it moved the announcement up from Friday without explanation. More »

With $11 billion in writedowns already on the books and a history of making risky trades and building debt, Morgan Stanley CEO and chairman John Mack is facing scrutiny from some shareholders, the New York Times reports. He has substantial support, but at least one activist group is pushing for him to relinquish his chairman’s role. More »

Stocks gained slightly after the Fed's decision to join four other central banks in pumping cash into the global financial system. Following yesterday's plunge of nearly 300 points after the Fed cut interest rates by only a quarter-point, the Dow gained 41.13 to close at 13,473.90. The Nasdaq was up 18.79 to 2,671.14, while the S&P tacked on 8.95 to close at 1,486.60. More »

Wireless service giants AT&T and Verizon may be blocking other companies' devices and applications to defeat potential competition. Business Week reports that a discount international cell phone service, a wireless banking service, and PayPal, trying to bring its online payment service to wireless, were all obstructed by one or more of the major carriers. More »

Merrill Lynch CEO Stan O’Neal has decided to step down, the Wall Street Journal reports, after days of speculation about his likely ouster following $8 billion in writedowns for the bank, and reports that he had discussed a merger with Wachovia without board authorization. The list of potential successors is headed by Laurence Fink, the chief executive of money manager BlackRock. More »

Wall Street observed the 20th anniversary of Black Monday with an absolute bloodbath today as the Dow fell a whopping 366.94 points to close at 13,522.02. Wachovia, Caterpillar, and Honeywell led a host of disappointing earnings reports, driving every major index down over 2.5%. The S&P 500 dropped 39.45 to 1,500.63, and the Nasdaq closed at 2,725.16, off 74.15. More »

America's biggest banks—Citigroup, Bank of America, J.P.Morgan Chase and Wachovia— have borrowed a total of $2 billion from the Federal Reserve at the government's so-called discount window. It's an attempt to shore up the faltering credit markets by encouraging smaller banks to borrow from the Fed without stigma, the Wall Street Journal reports. More »

Wachovia will buy A.G. Edwards for $6.8 billion, forming the nation's number two retail brokerage. Wachovia's $89.50 per share offer for the historic Midwest brokerage—it survived the crash of '29—helps the bank further expand its growing securities arm. The combined company will manage over $1 trillion, second to Merrill Lynch and ahead of Smith Barney. More »