Morgan Stanley endured $46 billion in September money market redemptions, forcing the firm to buy $23 billion in instruments from the various money market funds hit by the cash siphon. One presumes that these instruments were then to be laid off onto the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund.
This leads us to believe that the “greater fool theory” has been flawed all these years. Clearly there is a trump card in the deck of greater fools. Specifically, there are greater fools and then there are governmental greater fools.
Morgan Stanley bought the fund assets to “ensure that redemption obligations were met amidst illiquid trading markets,” Erica Platt, a spokeswoman for the firm, said in an e-mailed statement. Fed spokeswoman Susan Stawick declined to comment on whether Morgan Stanley had used central bank financing to aid its money-market funds.
This sounds suspiciously like code for “we aren’t taking any chances having these instruments marked with transaction prices we don’t control,” but we are rather notorious cynics on this particular topic. There’s also the issue of reputation. A clearing failure by a firm of this magnitude would be disastrous. As it is, Morgan Stanley is likely to take a bath on the transaction, if prior experience is any measure.
Morgan Stanley reported $10 million of third-quarter losses on securities it previously purchased from structured investment vehicles, or SIVs. Over the past nine months, the bank has recorded $283 million of losses related to SIVs.
Note also: “Individuals and institutions use money-market funds to earn a yield until the cash is needed. They are considered the safest investments after bank deposits and U.S. Treasuries, in part because they buy only highly rated fixed-income securities with an average maturity of 90 days or less.”
…is the new…
“Credit Default Swaps are insurance-like instruments which give the insured (the holder) protection against default on debt instruments. Such protection is paid out by the insurer (the writer) when certain default conditions are met.”
Morgan Stanley Supported Money Funds With $23 Billion [Bloomberg]
Morgan Stanley Funds Hit By $46 Billion Withdrawal [CNBC]
is this positive??
Too long, didn’t even consider reading.
i don’t understand what a money market fund is. can someone explain?
write about GS .And when will they implode??
i want to buy cds protection on money market siv things.
wah happend?
i recently opened an account with scottrade and cannot find a section in which to profit by shorting money market funds. could somebody knowledgable help me?
Wow…MS is really taking one for the team here.
What a noble thing for an investment bank to do.
My hat goes off to them.
Once again the first 6 hours of the market mean nothing.
@8. What is an investment bank?
Ha! Did you see that?
The mofos sold the shit out of the market at the last min again!
Hedge/mutual fund redemption continues!
mick dundee? is that you?
Not sure why you’re saying MS will like “take a bath” on the securities they bought. They’re money market securities. They just hold them for the 6 months or so they have left to maturity. The same problem hit every money market fund last month. That’s why the Treasury offered a guarantee to money market funds. Morgan’s money market funds are now US Government guaranteed. OOOOH! SCARY!!!
Not sure why you’re saying MS will likely “take a bath” on the securities they bought. They’re money market securities. They just hold them for the 6 months or so they have left to maturity. The same problem hit every money market fund last month. That’s why the Treasury offered a guarantee to money market funds. Morgan’s money market funds are now US Government guaranteed. OOOOH! SCARY!!!
@11
That’s how we roll beeeotch.
A little rope a dope and then POW!
Reverse PPT right here baby!
Hi there! I go to a Top Tier B-School and they are teaching us CAPM and efficient market theory. Can somebody tell me why investors don’t use CAPM more to beat the market? All I see are a lot of losses from mutual funds, hedge funds and investment banks. By the way, I have an internship offer from Solomon Brothers, Lehman Brothers, Bear Stearns, and Merrill Lynch; which one should I take?
“You can’t take my picture”
“Oh right, you believe it will steal your soul”
“No, your lens cap is on”
at #16 NONE OF THE ABOVE. sTAY IN SCHOOL.
once again the first 6 decades of a market mean nothing
Bear Sterns for sure. Go with a company that’s first.
@16
My dick is dry. Make it wet.
@7-nope
Chicago Hedge Fund Manager
My guess:
A man in NY called a man in Chicago this morning and said, You have until close today to post additional margin or we sell you out.
The rest is history.
KNOCK KNOCK
WHO’S THERE
WHARTON
WHARTON WHO
WHARTON ALL CAPS
@16-get in touch with the B-school recruiters at Drexel Burnham or Wasserstein Perella. They have a better first year program
@25 Wharton ALL CAPS is a legend. Don’t misues his name.
He’s the Leroy Jenkins of finance.
The problem is that the money market funds may hold CIT, AIG, LEH, MS, MER, GS, NCC, etc. So you have MS losing 23 billion in cash and adding 23 billion in securities that may not be worth par (what they probably paid for them to keep the money market value at 1).
@16: You’re such a rookie. Stay in school, get an MBA, and study for the CFA. See, the CFA teaches you not to lie, cheat, steal, and to buy low, sell high.
The financial industry is saturated with CFAs who didn’t cheat during the tech boom, saw the mortgage collapse coming this decade, and sold stocks in October 2007.
While you’re printing money write a book on how smart you are and how easy it is to be a finance professional in a world where money doesn’t sleep.
EP
get off my nuts, i pointed this out at 3:00am this morning. What’re you 12th man on the deal team, last to know?
@ 29
So, i’m just gonna guess, unemployed CFA charterholder?
Anal_yst, where’s your gay bro 1-2?
I knew he was mr mayo and shamwow.
@29
“The financial industry is saturated with CFAs who didn’t cheat during the tech boom, saw the mortgage collapse coming this decade, and sold stocks in October 2007.”
Oh really? And behind which underwater fund are they hiding?
An industry saturated with CFAs is a bad thing, it shows how watered down the designation has become..
@29
“The financial industry is saturated with CFAs who didn’t cheat during the tech boom, saw the mortgage collapse coming this decade, and sold stocks in October 2007.”
Oh really? And behind which underwater fund are they hiding?
An “industry saturated with CFAs” is a bad thing, it shows how watered down the designation has become..
@31: Yes. Not worth it.
@33, 34. You probably didn’t pass Level I because you didn’t detect the quote dripping with sarcasm.
I didn’t pass forth grade I still didn’t get it.
SPODE
@29 getting an MBA and/or a CFA doesn’t make you a smart cookie. Look at all the idiots that brought their houses down. I bet they were packed with 3-letter acronym’s.
@16 take the one from Drexel
http://www.weeklyta.blogspot.com