Stories related to: credit crisis

The Dow lost more than 1.5% of its value, or 249.97 points, to close at 13133.38 after a devastating report showed that 4,000 jobs were lost in August, the first increase in unemployment in four years. Wall Street had anticipated job growth, and the numbers prompted concerns that the credit crunch is bleeding into the larger economy. More »

If a popular adage about style and stocks holds up, New York's Fashion Week spells trouble for investors. The spring collections on display in the Bryant Park tents this week presented more modest looks, Reuters reports, with many knee-length or lower dresses and skirts. That may mean rough going if it's true that markets and hemlines fall together. More »

Better-than-expected retail sales figures for August, which built on healthy back-to-school and luxury shopping, raised hopes today that turbulent markets won't take too big of a bite out of holiday-season sales. Wal-Mart and Target made out well, as did luxury emporiums such as Saks. "It bodes well for Christmas," one analyst tells MarketWatch. More »

President Bush will announce a rescue package for homeowners with subprime mortgages faced with foreclosure. The package will include a call for Congress to give the Federal Housing Administration more power to help borrowers keep their homes—and stricter enforcement of laws against predatory lending, Reuters reports. More »

Technology shares are still on the rebound, but the credit market continues to shake other stocks as traders await Ben Bernanke's speech on Friday. The tech-heavy NASDAQ gained 2.14 today, to close at 2565.30. But the Dow slipped 50.56 to 13238.73, and the S&P 500 fell 6.12 to 1457.64. More »

Tomorrow, Ben Bernanke will make his first speech since turmoil erupted in the world's financial markets early this month. As Wall Street listens for clues about whether interest rates will be cut next month, the Fed chief be walking a tightrope, the Washington Post observes. If he appears indifferent, panic could deepen; if he seems too anxious to stem losses, he'll encourage more irresponsible investing. More »

Financial regulators and politicians across Europe and Asia are banding together to demand an international role in the oversight of American markets. The subprime meltdown has demonstrated that fluctuations in American markets can wreak havoc the world over, the Times reports, and now international players are wondering why they must shoulder American risk without any say in oversight. More »

As the art world returns from its summer hiatus, dealers, auctioneers, and collectors are on edge about a possible downturn in the market, the Times reports. Fallout from the global credit crunch has led to speculation that astronomical prices for art, particularly in the contemporary sector, may be heading for a correction. More »

European stocks and US futures advanced overnight, as traders waxed optimistic that the credit crisis won't spread to affect the broader economy. But Asian markets are more concerned about the general prospect of a US slowdown—which could hit Asia's export-heavy economy hard. More »

The sale of Home Depot's wholesale supply unit—threatened by the credit crisis —is going ahead after tense negotiations between Home Depot, private equity firms buying the company and banks providing the financing. Home Depot slashed its price 18% to $8.5 billion and guaranteed some of the loans to close the deal, the Wall Street Journal reports.      More »

The subprime mortgage crisis may spark another financial disaster: bad credit card debt. When rates hit 50-year lows, many owners borrowed against their homes to pay off high-interest credit cards. Now, with rates increasing, many may not be able to pay down both their mortgages and their credit cards, the Chicago Tribune reports, and will default or go bankrupt. More »

The FT leads with a prediction that market volatility will decrease over the next week for a simple reason: everyone's going on vacation. Major decisions by banks, hedge funds and mortgage lenders will be on hold as the financial world bails New York, London and Frankfurt for the end of the summer season. More »

The pending sale of part of Home Depot took an ugly turn last night as three banks and three private equity firms entered into a showdown over financing. Home Depot dropped its asking price by over $1 billion, but the banks involved—JPMorgan Chase, Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch—have threatened to withdraw from a deal that may become the  first casualty of the credit crunch. More »

As the credit crunch transforms the financial landscape, one thing hasn't changed: lenders continue to offer loans that are too good to be true. The Washington Post writes that mortgage companies are still offering risky products to risky customers—even Countrywide, which barely avoided bankruptcy, is flogging cheap money with the slogan "We make it easy!" More »

Countrywide came back from the brink yesterday as Bank of America bought $2 billion in preferred stock in the mortgage company, writes the Los Angeles Times . Countrywide's share price soared in after-hours trading, only a week after the credit crunch brought it to the point of bankruptcy. More »

The credit crisis, which has surged across the global financial infrastructure like a tsunami, washing away millions of share prices, is about to hit one of Wall Street's most hallowed traditions —the fat bonus. The extra pay for all but an elite few may be cut for the first time in five years, Bloomberg reports. More »

Financial markets across Europe were off again in midmorning trading. In London, the FTSE opened slightly higher and then suffered new losses as UK traders continued to reel from yesterday's steep fall-off, the exchange's most calamitous one-day drop in years. At mid-morning the index was down 0.2% and markets in France and Germany experienced similar losses. More »

US stocks dipped this morning, following steep declines in Europe and Asia as distress over the expanding credit crisis heightened. The Dow Jones sank over 100 points this morning, and the S&P was off nearly 0.8% after erasing its entire year's gains yesterday. "Everyone is waiting for the other shoe to drop,'' said an investment strategist. More »