Opening Bell: 12.09.11

Tensions Rise At EU Summit (WSJ)
European Union leaders failed to get all of the bloc’s 27 members to back a change in the EU treaty to tighten their fiscal coordination as a decisive summit in Brussels ended its first day in the early hours Friday. The leaders, who are still deeply divided over key elements of their crisis strategy, decided they would move to form a pact among at least 23 of the members to tighten rules on national fiscal policy. But details of the proposed treaty remained to be settled. The U.K. stood aside—after Prime Minister David Cameron failed with what officials said was a “shopping list of demands” designed among other things to protect national supervision of its banks—while Hungary, Sweden and the Czech Republic reserved their positions.

Moody’s Cuts French Banks (WSJ)
Moody’s Investors Service Friday hit Société Générale SA and fellow French bank Crédit Agricole SA with their second downgrade in less then three months, citing poor funding conditions and their exposure to sovereign debt. It also downgraded BNP Paribas SA, France’s largest bank by market value, which had been spared during a Moody’s review in September. Moody’s cut BNP Paribas and Crédit Agricole’s long-term debt ratings by one notch to Aa3 and SocGen one notch to A1, giving all three banks negative outlooks. The ratings agency was disparaging, too, about the French banks’ recently launched restructuring plans aimed at boosting their capital ratios by shedding assets, saying they could struggle to hit their promised targets. “Given the broader deleveraging efforts being undertaken by banks in France and elsewhere, there is an increasing risk that a lack of market appetite for assets might result in a less-than-expected balance-sheet reduction, or sales at depressed prices,” it said.

Falcone’s Harbinger Capital Gets SEC ‘Wells Notice’ (SE)
The Wells Notices state that the staff intends to recommend or is considering recommending that the Commission file civil injunctive actions against HCP, Harbinger Capital Partners Offshore Manager, LLC, Harbinger Capital Partners Special Situations GP, LLC, Mr. Falcone, Mr. Asali, and Ms. Roger alleging violations of the federal securities laws’ anti-fraud provisions in connection with matters previously disclosed and an additional matter regarding the circumstances and disclosure related to agreements with certain fund investors.

Wary European CEO’s Move Cash To Germany (Bloomberg)
The Bundesbank, Germany’s central bank, registered capital inflows of 11.3 billion euros ($15 billion) from non-banks in September, according to the breakdown of its current account published Nov. 9. That helped transform a deficit of 47.3 billion euros in Germany’s balance of other capital flows in August to a surplus of 700 million euros in September.

Corzine’s Loss May Be Soros’s Gain (WSJ)
Investor George Soros’s family fund bought about $2 billion of European bonds formerly owned by MF Global Holdings Ltd., the very debt that helped force the securities firm to file for bankruptcy protection Oct. 31, according to people close to the matter.

OWS protesters crash ‘Law and Order: SVU’ set; film permit revoked (NYP)
Some 40 Occupy Wall Street protesters early this morning returned to their old stomping grounds, where “Law and Order: SVU’’ was set to shoot an episode today. The TV show had recreated the demonstrators’ encampment at Foley Square, complete with tents and tables. Following rumors that the real protestors might interfere with the filming, about 40 cops set up barricades around the set and were there when the demonstrators arrived shortly after midnight. They left soon afterward when the show’s staffers took down the tents and cops announced the permit to film had been revoked. “They were exploiting the movement,’’ said one demonstrator who asked not to be identified. Another said, “they tried co-op the movement, but they were co-opted.’’

Japan Watchdog Seeks Penalty For UBS, Citi (Reuters)
Financial authorities in Tokyo are set to take punitive action against Japanese units of UBS and Citigroup after the markets watchdog said on Friday a trader was found to have tried to influence a short-term interest rate benchmark at the two firms.

China Central Bank to Create $300 Billion Investment Fund (Reuters)
China’s central bank plans to create a new vehicle to manage investment funds worth a total of $300 billion to improve returns on the world’s largest stockpile of foreign exchange reserves, a source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters. The vehicle would operate two funds, one targeting investments in the United States and the other focused on Europe, said the source, who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter.

Occupation 101: NYU to Offer Two ‘Occupy Wall Street’ Classes (NYO)
Undergraduate tuition at New York University is around $41,000, but parents can be assured their bright young things are still getting The People’s Education, reports the student newspaper The Washington Square News. NYU plans to offer not one, but two classes on the burgeoning social movement known as Occupy Wall Street, so that the 1 percent may study the 99 at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

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Comments (49)

  1. Posted by Dr_Rosenrose | December 9, 2011 at 9:56 AM

    Get off Falcone's back! There is nothing wrong with borrowing client funds to pay for other obligations.
    -Jon

  2. Posted by BrotherLehman | December 9, 2011 at 10:08 AM

    I'm putting this Corzine clown at the children's table the next time he's over for brunch.

    –George S

  3. Posted by Mad Max | December 9, 2011 at 10:11 AM

    Here at the Thunderdome, everything runs on pig shit.

  4. Posted by Anonymous | December 9, 2011 at 10:12 AM

    well at least Wilbur did not get a Wells Notice…

  5. Posted by Speculative Fact | December 9, 2011 at 10:22 AM

    Law and Order SVU only needed their 30 second opening scene and finished shooting it by the time OWS showed up.

  6. Posted by Guest | December 9, 2011 at 10:27 AM

    Shouldn't Law & Order SVU be shooting at State College, PA…just sayin

  7. Posted by Texashedge | December 9, 2011 at 10:33 AM

    "Investor George Soros’s family fund bought about $2 billion of European bonds"

    That's real money we're talking about, not monopoly money

  8. Posted by Al Czervik | December 9, 2011 at 10:41 AM

    I hope he got a bowl of soup with that haircut.

  9. Posted by Lars | December 9, 2011 at 10:43 AM

    Hey OWS, here's your fuckin knapsack, alright!

  10. Posted by Chevy_Chased | December 9, 2011 at 10:48 AM

    We have a field trip next week to the OWS camp, as a friendly reminder please get your field trip forms signed by your legal guardians. Also, if everyone could not shower the day of the field trip, we will be able to blend in and truly experience the angst of the 'working class'. Not that I need to remind you, but please do not feed the animals.

    - NYU OWS 101 Professor

  11. Posted by LOO_K | December 9, 2011 at 10:56 AM

    That Soros/Corzine article makes mistake. The truth, the skinny, is, isn’t it, that the sovereign debt holding didn’t bring DoWn MF/FM Global. It was, deregulation to reregulation, The Regulators.
    - sounds like something from the freakin Inquisition

  12. Posted by formerly_owned | December 9, 2011 at 11:07 AM

    I’ll go out on a limb here. Most of you would like to coopt B.L.’s sexual fantasies. -But- if the happy-go-lucky Soros family bought MFGlobal Euro bonds then the bonds are good or have value. So what brought down Blagojevich?

  13. Posted by Guest | December 9, 2011 at 11:17 AM

    I would also suggest everyone is up to date with their vaccinations.

    –NYU Student Health Office

  14. Posted by E. Texas Gas Trader | December 9, 2011 at 11:26 AM

    Proud to state here that the "Simple Jack" haircut is popular among aged natural gas traders and marketers.

  15. Posted by Occupy My Anus | December 9, 2011 at 11:33 AM

    Hey, OWS, the NYPD just vacated my anus, you have a place to sleep – get your tents and come round so I can shit on you.

  16. Posted by Greggums | December 9, 2011 at 11:36 AM

    Kouwe? Is that you Kouwe?

  17. Posted by Dr_Zaius | December 9, 2011 at 11:48 AM

    This joke is terribly unfunny and offensive.

    - Justin Volpe

  18. Posted by Guest | December 9, 2011 at 12:03 PM

    Dumbest comment in the history of Dealbreaker. Brutal.

  19. Posted by Sleeper | December 9, 2011 at 12:04 PM

    "NYU plans to offer not one, but two classes on the burgeoning social movement known as Occupy Wall Street"

    The sad part is in 50 years ya gonna wake up and realize you dropped a forty-one grand on a fuckin’ education you coulda got for a bag of mescaline and a few rolls of toilet paper.

    - Will Hunting

  20. Posted by HungryIntern | December 9, 2011 at 12:06 PM

    Mom and Dad paying $40k+ a yr so their kids can yell and write about how hard their life has been is just so…OWS

  21. Posted by guest | December 9, 2011 at 12:21 PM

    vice… grip… bolted… to… paint… shaker…

  22. Posted by Hakuna Matata Guy | December 9, 2011 at 12:22 PM

    Challenge.

  23. Posted by Occupy My Anus | December 9, 2011 at 12:24 PM

    I so want to try that out.

  24. Posted by Whu-uh-uh-uh-uh | December 9, 2011 at 12:26 PM

    We need a little help with our model. Do you put the vice grip on it first THEN stick it in th paint shaker? TIA.

    -AIG AutoEroticism Analyst

  25. Posted by Que Sera, Sera Guy | December 9, 2011 at 12:37 PM

    Your comment was more annoying than dumb so you're in the clear.

    - UBS Blogosphere Quant

  26. Posted by trojan_ | December 9, 2011 at 12:48 PM

    Yeah well my Dad totally owns a dealership.
    -DP

  27. Posted by FKApmco | December 9, 2011 at 12:52 PM

    I have consulted with my plastic surgeon. The vise-like grip can be attained via vaginoplasty. We are developing an implant that will cause vibration.

    PS In case you have any ideas, we have already patented the invention

  28. Posted by Jay | December 9, 2011 at 1:06 PM

    No new articles even by 1 pm = Matt L magnum opus in the works

  29. Posted by Guest | December 9, 2011 at 1:12 PM

    Stupid opus. I hate the opus.

  30. Posted by Mad Max | December 9, 2011 at 1:13 PM

    I'm really flattered to see that a comment I made in the throes of a blistering hangover has reached so many people. Five dollars please.

  31. Posted by Local GM Dealership | December 9, 2011 at 1:17 PM

    -Comment of the day

  32. Posted by PermaGuestII | December 9, 2011 at 1:19 PM

    Need a quality assurance tester?

  33. Posted by Comment Warden | December 9, 2011 at 1:39 PM

    Instant classic….like Hakuna Matata.

  34. Posted by Guest | December 9, 2011 at 1:41 PM

    it's 1:40 !!! C'mon already!

  35. Posted by trojan_ | December 9, 2011 at 1:53 PM

    Fleshlight will suffice

  36. Posted by Occupy My Anus | December 9, 2011 at 1:59 PM

    Octopus is very chewy

  37. Posted by Occupy My Anus | December 9, 2011 at 2:04 PM

    Immortalized in Google. Enter "vice grip paint shaker" in your search.
    https://www.google.com/search?q=vice+grip+paint+s…

  38. Posted by FKApmco | December 9, 2011 at 2:09 PM

    Indeed I do. inlovewithpmco is co-ordinating that for me…talk to her.
    I also need help with a name for the product. So far I am thinking
    1. The Daniela
    2. The Jaime Sommers
    3. Vagin-o-matic
    4. Gripper-Shaker Magic-Maker
    5. __________

  39. Posted by FKApmco | December 9, 2011 at 2:11 PM

    No go, Troj. We need something permanent that can be turned on via wireless or a remote or something…no batteries required.

  40. Posted by Mad Max | December 9, 2011 at 2:14 PM

    Too bad I never use my real name or even the same handle twice. At least Bess knows who I am. <3

  41. Posted by PermaGuestII | December 9, 2011 at 2:14 PM

    Vag-in-Hance.

    I'll expect a cut of the royalties.

  42. Posted by Toolman Taylor | December 9, 2011 at 2:46 PM

    So it's going to plug into a wall?

  43. Posted by Guest | December 9, 2011 at 2:49 PM

    If it's turned on by money, you didn't really invent anything new. You would have simply made it a bit more worth the effort.

  44. Posted by FKApmco | December 9, 2011 at 4:49 PM

    Um…probably not. Still working out the kinks, Tim. Maybe we need it use a HP 12-C battery..they last a long time

  45. Posted by FKApmco | December 9, 2011 at 4:52 PM

    But if you have the remote, you have the control…right? That's gotta be worth more than a "bit"

  46. Posted by Guest | December 9, 2011 at 5:57 PM

    I guess you have a point, however if you add a mute button for the noisy thing on top you would be adding some serious value

  47. Posted by Jim Boeheim | December 9, 2011 at 8:01 PM

    I agree!

  48. Posted by FKApmco | December 10, 2011 at 7:59 AM

    + 100

  49. Posted by web solutions agency | April 18, 2012 at 10:56 AM

    EAo97a Thank you ever so for you blog post.Thanks Again. Really Great.

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