From Gasparino:

Sources with knowledge of the deal say government officials are now getting cold feet over the plan to buy the troubled assets from Citigroup.
The problem with buying the assets from Citi is political: people close to the deal know that other firms will line up and ask the government to purchase their troubled assets as well knowing that all brokerage stocks got crushed when treasury secretary hank paulson reversed his plan on the tarp to direct capital infusions to the banks and away from buying troubled assets.

And my favorite part, because I know he’s playing to us:

Bottom line: this is very fluid and the situation may change again, but as of now government getting cold feet on plan to buy troubled assets, which leaves direct capital infusion on the table.

Comments (52)

  1. Posted by guest | November 23, 2008 at 6:34 PM

    wideclops

  2. Posted by guest | November 23, 2008 at 6:36 PM

    unintended consequences, much?
    goddamn gov’t can’t seem to get out if it’s own way…
    my prediction: something, something…wideclops…something, something

  3. Posted by guest | November 23, 2008 at 6:37 PM

    my tanning solution is liquid. what i gave to the wideclops chick (my wanna be wife…she is kinda cute) is liquid.
    Cheers B1tches,
    Tanned Banker

  4. Posted by guest | November 23, 2008 at 6:39 PM

    Wideclops!
    Anyone who dares omit this word in future posts will suffer a fate worse than C.

  5. Posted by guest | November 23, 2008 at 6:39 PM

    What does Gasbag taunt us so?

  6. Posted by guest | November 23, 2008 at 6:40 PM

    c must merge with wideclops to survive

  7. Posted by guest | November 23, 2008 at 6:43 PM

    dealbreaker=shitty reports….

  8. Posted by guest | November 23, 2008 at 6:43 PM

    gasbags + melissa lee = sleeveless garbagul, Korean wideclops

  9. Posted by er666 | November 23, 2008 at 6:44 PM

    @7- that you still read and comment on.

  10. Posted by guest | November 23, 2008 at 6:44 PM

    why bess is posting all the cnbc news now…so boring

  11. Posted by Bess Levin | November 23, 2008 at 6:47 PM

    @10- your ‘dealbreaker sucks’ shtick (comment #10, #7) is getting boring.

  12. Posted by guest | November 23, 2008 at 6:49 PM

    According to CNBC there’s a wealth of real estate available for $500-$1000. Looks like some pretty nice houses.
    I’m just going to do that for money now on. Screw this.

  13. Posted by guest | November 23, 2008 at 6:49 PM

    @10,7 ha! busted.

  14. Posted by guest | November 23, 2008 at 6:50 PM

    13 here. forgot, “wideclops.”

  15. Posted by guest | November 23, 2008 at 6:54 PM

    I’ll offer $1 for any synthetic security.
    See government, there are natural buyers for this slime.

  16. Posted by guest | November 23, 2008 at 7:03 PM

    Gasbag is putting the smack down on WSJ and NYT

  17. Posted by AJ | November 23, 2008 at 7:10 PM

    @11 I am so in love with you

  18. Posted by guest | November 23, 2008 at 7:10 PM

    Gov’t bailout = bonuses are back, baby!

  19. Posted by guest | November 23, 2008 at 7:11 PM

    they should be nervous, these weekend deals haven’t worked out very well.

  20. Posted by Barack Obama | November 23, 2008 at 7:14 PM

    Problem with Vikram is that he is not a member of the tribe.

  21. Posted by guest | November 23, 2008 at 7:16 PM

    @18; not if you work in FICC they ain’t!

  22. Posted by Goldman Sachs Neophyte | November 23, 2008 at 7:17 PM

    @7, 10 you suck, dealbreaker owns you. I am hoping Wideclops is on tonight. Update: the situation is still fluid.
    - that guy from Goldman Sachs (a.k.a.: TGFGS)

  23. Posted by guest | November 23, 2008 at 7:17 PM

    @21
    I work in Equities.

  24. Posted by guest | November 23, 2008 at 7:20 PM

    citi blows…. all their assets are shitty. see you fags in the unemployment line. real estate in tribeca is about to get real cheap.

  25. Posted by guest | November 23, 2008 at 7:22 PM

    @23 – This is no longer about saving your job. That’s long gone. This is about saving the U.S. economy, and perhaps even western civilization.

  26. Posted by guest | November 23, 2008 at 7:25 PM

    @23
    I’m not worried about my job or Citi. It will all work itself out in the end and if the MDs want to pay themselves, the Directors and maybe the VPs will get something.

  27. Posted by guest | November 23, 2008 at 7:26 PM

    DickRam Bandit?

  28. Posted by guest | November 23, 2008 at 7:26 PM

    26, food stamps… thats about all the currency your MDs have left dude.

  29. Posted by guest | November 23, 2008 at 7:27 PM

    Ok, here’s the deal, Wachovia is buying Citi for 0.75 / share.
    The press-release, for tomorrow states (in part)…
    the merger will level-set the tablestakes and orchestrate both bank’s organic core competencies, while leveraging the strategic synergistics in a going-forward space.
    That, of course, is the most important sentence of the memo.

  30. Posted by Phobos | November 23, 2008 at 7:29 PM

    @25
    You should try harder, if you push the drama envelope just a little farther, you might have some good material for a Michael Crichton movie.
    “Timmy, you can’t do it! You can’t save the Economy!!”
    “If I don’t try, I don’t know who will. I’m the last, best hope.”
    “God bless you Timmy, I’ll always love you. I’ll always… love. you.”

  31. Posted by guest | November 23, 2008 at 7:29 PM

    @28
    I can tell you know very little about the comp process.

  32. Posted by guest | November 23, 2008 at 7:31 PM

    at 31…. i can tell i hit a nerve you soon to be unemployed sack of shit. have fun trying to find a job out there. and hey, happy bonus season girlfriend. when you run out of money i’ll lend you some cash,,, i’ll be fucking your girlfriend so come look for me there.

  33. Posted by guest | November 23, 2008 at 7:32 PM

    @32
    What’s you phone #?

  34. Posted by guest | November 23, 2008 at 7:34 PM

    its 1-800- monster.com buddy…. you better get your resume uploaded, HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

  35. Posted by guest | November 23, 2008 at 7:36 PM

    @29 How dare you twist my carefully crafted words? I will not have bloggers like this clown (http://www.portfolio.com/views/blogs/market-movers/2008/08/25/when-vikram-met-jim) moking me!
    -Vikram

  36. Posted by Anal_yst | November 23, 2008 at 7:37 PM

    where the fuck do all these haters come from?
    Former bankers and traders who’ve been laid off, typing from their lairs?

  37. Posted by guest | November 23, 2008 at 7:38 PM

    what does moking mean?
    isn’t citi the investment bank where you go lob your resume and line up a back up plan and if you can’t get a job at a real IB you just take the worthless offer at citi?
    citi never sleeps right? well it looks like their tired ass is in for a long nap now. see ya pussies

  38. Posted by guest | November 23, 2008 at 7:46 PM

    @ Anal_yst — the pygmy natives are restless!

  39. Posted by guest | November 23, 2008 at 7:53 PM

    http://www.cnbc.com/id/27878049
    Update from the Gasbag. Lots of feverishness and fluidity. I had that once, couldn’t get off the crapper for five hours.

  40. Posted by guest | November 23, 2008 at 7:54 PM

    If you give me 2/20, I will tell you how this plays out.

  41. Posted by guest | November 23, 2008 at 8:05 PM

    @35 – boring and non-humorous – let them take ownership of that crap

  42. Posted by mrpink | November 23, 2008 at 8:06 PM

    40-
    Sam Israel already beat you to it.
    -mrp

  43. Posted by mrpink | November 23, 2008 at 8:08 PM

    @33-
    Give me a ring: 212-479-7990
    -mrp

  44. Posted by Anal_yst | November 23, 2008 at 8:17 PM

    ahaha mr P you still have the NY rejection hotline, priceless

  45. Posted by mrpink | November 23, 2008 at 8:30 PM

    Anal_yst-
    I still give that out here in Chi.. Since I moved, I just tell them I didn’t want to get my number changed.. The ones who have never been outside of the Midwest never seem to figure it out.. It’s quite hilarious.
    @45 – You have a meeting with Wideclops on the 5th floor at 8:15. Don’t be late.
    -mrp

  46. Posted by guest | November 23, 2008 at 8:37 PM

    wideclops sounds like a half breed

  47. Posted by guest | November 23, 2008 at 8:47 PM

    wideclops is Gasbag’s source.
    Be on the look out for any Wideclops in the new Treas Dept.
    MCC…does she have fripples tonight?

  48. Posted by mrpink | November 23, 2008 at 8:55 PM

    46-
    Half cankle, half woman.
    -mrp

  49. Posted by Lowly Assistant | November 23, 2008 at 10:24 PM

    Liza Minelli is a wideclops. I could never pin-point what I found so bizarre about the woman. Thank you The Knife and DB for inadvertently bringing the term to my attention.

  50. Posted by guest | November 23, 2008 at 10:33 PM

    @49
    You win the prize for the best wideclop reference.

  51. Posted by guest | November 23, 2008 at 10:39 PM

    i am a little disappointed that you did not send minions of umpa lumpas to hang outside CC to either watch VP’s activities and have them TAR and/or look for the now infamouse wideclops.

  52. Posted by guest | November 24, 2008 at 12:32 AM

    Citi sleeps with the fishes tonight

Leave a comment

You can log in with your account or comment as a guest below.