Goldman, Merrill Almost `Junk,' Their Own Traders Say  02/03/2007

Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Merrill Lynch & Co. and Morgan Stanley, which earned a record $24.5 billion in 2006, suddenly have become so speculative that their own traders are valuing the three biggest securities firms as barely more creditworthy than junk bonds.

Prices for credit-default swaps linked to the bonds of the New York investment banks this week traded at levels that equate to debt ratings of Baa2, according to Moody's Investors Service. For Goldman, Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch & Co., that's five levels below the actual Aa3 rating on their senior unsecured notes and two steps above non-investment grade, or junk.

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GEAB N°65 - Contents

- Published on May 16, 2012 -

Global systemic crisis / Second half of 2012 – Convergence of four explosive factors: Banks-Stock Exchanges-Pensions-Debts
Whilst waiting for Euroland to equip itself, by the end of 2012, with a medium to long term common political, economic and social project, especially following the election of the new French president François Hollande, anticipated many months ago by LEAP/E2020, players will remain prisoners of the short-term reflexes related to the sudden Greek political tremors, the uncertainties over Euroland governance and to the risks in public debts… (page 2)
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Which languages must your child learn to be useful to him in twenty years ? Anticipation of the principal intra-European and world common languages in a 2030 timframe
Beyond its cultural interest LEAP/E2020 has created this anticipation as a tool to aid decision-making, individual (parents for the education of their children) as much as collective (public education institutions, universities, states, international businesses). Individual and joint strategies as regards language teaching are long term processes needing fundamental choices to be made almost a generation in advance… (page 11)
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Strategic and operational recommendations
. Currencies-Gold: Stay on course
. Pensions: Preserving one’s capital
. Stock Exchanges: Last exit before chaos
. Banks: Maximum distrust
. Government bonds: The trap is closing (page 21)
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The GlobalEurometre - Results & Analysis
The majority of respondents believing that their country’s major banks could go bankrupt by the end of 2012 has risen to 66% this month (versus 61% last month)… (page 23)
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