Stories related to: AIG

Stocks performed poorly today, battered by another new oil high and bad news from AIG and Citigroup, Bloomberg reports. The Dow lost 120.90 to end at 12,745.88, with a weekly loss of 2.4%. The S&P 500 shed 9.50 to 1,388.28, while the Nasdaq dropped 5.72 to settle at 2,445.52. More »

American International Group posted a record-breaking $7.8 billion first-quarter loss yesterday, reports the Wall Street Journal . The insurance giant blamed the poor results on the sagging housing market, the credit crunch and the see-sawing stock market. It announced plans to raise $12.5 billion to patch up the damage to its balance sheet from heavy writedowns. More »

News of the Bear Stearns bailout triggered a sell-off today as investors were reminded that the true depth and breadth of current credit problems remains uncertain, the Wall Street Journal reports. Bear Stearns stock closed at 30, down a breathtaking 47.4% on the day. The Dow fell 194.65 to 11,951.09, the Nasdaq 51.12 to  2,212.49, and the S&P 500 27.34 to 1,288.14. More »

After months of staggering writedowns battering Wall Street, some investors and executives are charging that accounting rules are exaggerating losses and triggering slumps like yesterday’s 315-point plunge in the Dow, reports the Wall Street Journal . Rules requiring companies to value holdings at current market rates, no matter how volatile, have a domino effect, they say: "The market falls, forcing banks to take write-offs, pushing the market lower, causing more write-offs," the Journal writes. More »

Citing a decline in gains from insurance underwriting and sluggish investment returns, holding company Berkshire Hathaway said today that fourth-quarter income was off 18%—to $2.95 billion, from $3.58 billion—from a year earlier, the Wall Street Journal reports. Billionaire chairman Warren Buffett snuck in digs at Wall Street and the federal government while effectively promising declining profit margins for years to come. More »

The Dow lost an incredible 315.79 points today to close at 12,266.39 as AIG reported the biggest losses in its history and bellwether Dell reported a year-over-year fourth-quarter profit decline of 6%. The Nasdaq slipped 60.09 to 2,271.48, and the S&P 500 lost 37.04 to close at 1,330.64. More »

Today's after-hours bad news from the credit-crunch front comes from insurer AIG, which reported a fourth-quarter loss of $5.29 billion after taking an $11 billion writedown on mortgage-related insurance contracts, the Wall Street Journal reports. The loss amounts to $2.08 per share; American International Group turned a profit of $1.31 in the fourth quarter of 2006. More »

A federal jury yesterday convicted five former insurance executives of fraud, conspiracy, and making false statements to the Securities and Exchange Commission as part of a scheme to deceive investors, Bloomberg reports. The convictions stem from a sham transaction in 2000 between General Reinsurance Corp. and American International Group that added $500 million in loss reserves to AIG’s accounts to soothe investor concerns. More »

Stocks climbed to post modest gains today after a plunge early in the session. Financials fell early after AIG said its credit-derivatives portfolio lost $4.88 billion, significantly more than the company had estimated in December, reports the Wall Street Journal . The Dow closed up 57.88 at 12,240.01, the Nasdaq up 15.21 at 2,320.06, and the S&P 500 7.82 at 1,339.11. More »

The Dow plunged 306.95 points to 12.159.21 today, its third straight sell-off and worst loss of the new year, as rough numbers put investors in a bearish mood. The key index has now fallen more than 1,000 points since 2008 began. Merrill Lynch posted a huge quarterly loss, manufacturing slowed, and housing starts came in at their lowest level since 1991. More »

A criminal trial involving four ex-employees of billionaire Warren Buffett is likely to offer a rare—and unwelcome—glimpse into the inner workings of the “Oracle of Omaha,” the Wall Street Journal reports. Buffett isn’t charged in the case—to begin Monday—involving Berkshire Hathaway reinsurance unit General Re Corp. and AIG, but testimony could allege he knew about the deal. More »

Babies with belly-laughs are the darlings of YouTube—one video has been seen by more than 35 million viewers—and now AIG is deploying them to sell financial instruments. Slate finds the AIG giggling-baby campaign instructive of what works and what doesn't in adapting YouTube videos to TV. For one thing, the ad co-opts a whole genre, not a single beloved video—which risks backlash. More »

Stocks headed downward again today, spurred by oil prices making a return to record territory. The price of crude hit $90.50 a barrel as traders reacted to yesterday's data predicting limited availability. "Oil is up—that doesn't help. And financials are getting hit," says one trader. The Dow was down 3.33 to 13,671.92, while the Nasdaq slipped 23.90 to 2,750.86, and the S&P 1.48 to 1,514.40. More »

Stocks were up across the board today after the Fed expressed confidence that “moderate” expansion would continue, countering fears that the subprime fiasco will bleed further into the broader market. The Dow was down more than 100 points immediately after the decision as traders scrambled to decode it, but closed up 35.52, at 13,504.30 More »