Who are they? First, we have Lloyd Blankenstein, CEO of Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE GS). Then we have Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase & Company (NYSE JPM) and then CEO, Vikam Pandt of Citigroup Inc. (NYSE C).

You are probably also wondering how do we know this? The Associated Press did a review of Geithner's calendar under the Freedom of Information Act.

In his first seven months on the job, Geithner made at least 80 contacts with the "big three." Not only that Geithner jumps to the phone when they call. They are the dominant players on Wall Street who can move markets and even economies.

Continue reading Why does Geithner always take calls from the big three bankers?

Why does Geithner always take calls from the big three bankers? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 14:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Closing Bell: When reality sets in... (JAVA, ORCL, NTAP, BAC, C, PEP)

Closing Bell: When reality sets in... (JAVA, ORCL, NTAP, BAC, C, PEP) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 20 Apr 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Citigroup first quarter earnings preview

Citigroup first quarter earnings preview originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 16 Apr 2009 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Before the bell: Investors look for hopeful signs

Before the bell: Investors look for hopeful signs originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 13 Apr 2009 07:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

There could be an opportunity to tweak the way we pay CEOs of big public companies. I hope this doesn't sound too harsh. But when you consider that the average 2008 compensation for the 10 highest paid public company CEOs was $40.7 million, while their companies lost half, or $30 billion, worth of their stock market value -- I wonder whether some change may be in order.

The year 2008 put a big exclamation mark on, hopefully, the end of an eight-year sentence of stabbing common shareholders in the back. Of the 10 highest paid CEOs, here are the four who destroyed the most stock market value while getting well above average pay. The companies are listed in descending order of the percentage destruction in stock market value, along with the CEO's 2008 compensation and loss in stock market capitalization:

• Citigroup (NYSE: C) paid CEO Vikram Pandit $38.2 million while its stock fell 78% destroying $124 billion in stock market value
• Motorola (NYSE: MOT) CEO Sanjay Jha made $104 million while overseeing a 75% stock plunge which wiped out $27.9 billion in stock market value

Continue reading Pay for performance? Try pay for failure: CEOs paid millions to lose billions

Pay for performance? Try pay for failure: CEOs paid millions to lose billions originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 03 Apr 2009 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

An era of greed that began with the election of Ronald Reagan has come to an abrupt end. That means that the seething emotions of greed and envy that come along with bonus time at investment banks will have fewer dollars attached to them. And talent will flow to government and academia rather than Wall Street. This could be good for the U.S.

Some of those masters of the universe in the investment banking industry have seen the value of their stock tumble (and many of them are going without bonuses this year). Here are some of the "casualties":

Continue reading Masters of the universe take a pay cut

Masters of the universe take a pay cut originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 27 Jan 2009 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bBACbailoutexecutive compensationexecutive payExecutiveCompensationExecutivePayfeaturedGSjohn thainJohnThainlloyd blankfeinLloydBlankfeinmerrill lynchMerrillLynchvikram panditVikramPanditwall streetWallStreetTue, 27 Jan 2009 11:40:00 ESThttp://www.bloggingstocks.com/2009/01/26/our-tax-dollars-buy-citi-a-50-million-french-jet/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2009/01/26/our-tax-dollars-buy-citi-a-50-million-french-jet/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2009/01/26/our-tax-dollars-buy-citi-a-50-million-french-jet/#commentsFiled under: Citigroup Inc. (C)

I am reaching the limits of my ability to stand more waste of our money. Today, I learned that Citigroup (NYSE: C) is taking delivery of a $50 million corporate jet from French manufacturer, Dassault. (For that kind of money, it could have at least bought from an American manufacturer).

I know the U.S. invested $45 billion worth of taxpayer money with no strings attached -- but is it really possible that Citi does not get that buying a corporate jet with that money is blazingly stupid?

There is some irony on this front. This evening Maria Bartiromo conducted an interview with John Thain who was deposed last week for various sins. Bartiromo was in Davos, but Thain was not -- although one of his sins was that he had accepted an invitation to attend Davos. But back in 2007 -- almost exactly two years ago -- it was Bartiromo who got in some hot water for taking Citi's corporate jet with then Citi-executive Todd Thomson.

Continue reading Our tax dollars buy Citi a $50 million French jet

Our tax dollars buy Citi a $50 million French jet originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 26 Jan 2009 19:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ccitigroupdassaultdavosdavos world economic forumDavosWorldEconomicForumjohn thainJohnThainmaria bartiromoMariaBartiromovikram panditVikramPanditMon, 26 Jan 2009 19:48:00 ESThttp://www.bloggingstocks.com/2009/01/14/citi-down-20-as-credit-default-swap-premium-spike-55/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2009/01/14/citi-down-20-as-credit-default-swap-premium-spike-55/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2009/01/14/citi-down-20-as-credit-default-swap-premium-spike-55/#commentsFiled under: Citigroup Inc. (C)

Citigroup, Inc. (NYSE: C) has gone below $5 a share which triggers the dreaded sell-off by institutional investors who are not allowed to own stocks that trade below that level. And rumors of Vikram Pandit's departure from the CEO role are beginning to accumulate.

Unfortunately, the Credit Default Swap (CDS) market is now also kicking in. When this happens, it generally means that a company needs to come up with lots of cash to continue to insure its bonds. And since Tuesday, the CDS premium for Citi bonds rose 55% -- the annual cost of protecting $10 million of Citi debt against default for five years rose to $410,000 on Wednesday from $265,000 on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, CNBC's Charlie Gasparino claims that "the market is betting that Vikram Pandit's days are over." And with Citi just announcing that it will move up its quarterly reporting date from the 22nd to the 16th, the bad news should be out soon. I am sorry to say that it looks like the value of Citi's equity is about to hit bottom and never recover.

Peter Cohan is president of Peter S. Cohan & Associates. He also teaches management at Babson College and is the author of You Can't Order Change: Lessons from Jim McNerney's Turnaround at Boeing. He owns Citi shares.

Citi down 20% as Credit Default Swap premium spikes 55% originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 14 Jan 2009 15:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>charlie gasparinoCharlieGasparinocitigroupcredit default swapCreditDefaultSwapvikram panditVikramPanditWed, 14 Jan 2009 15:17:00 ESThttp://www.bloggingstocks.com/2009/01/14/what-will-citi-sell/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2009/01/14/what-will-citi-sell/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2009/01/14/what-will-citi-sell/#commentsFiled under: Deals, Citigroup Inc. (C), Economic Data

If the latest rumors are correct, it looks like Citigroup (NYSE: C) will not change very much from its current structure. So Citi may fail to follow the compelling story arc of repealing Glass-Steagall to form itself in 1998 only to reinstate that 1933 law in 2009 by splitting its investment and commercial banking operations. Instead, it looks like Citi will do a bit of trimming around the edges.

At the core of the problem is $150 billion in toxic assets -- consumer, corporate, and leveraged loans -- which appears to be the amount of cash Citi will need to raise assuming it writes off all that toxic waste and then attempts to raise the same amount of capital through asset sales.

So Citi's new strategy is to find buyers who in total are willing to pay $150 billion for the various pieces of Citi's business. And this push appears to be coming from FDIC chair Sheila Bair who may be representing taxpayers' 7% stake -- the single largest -- in Citi. But after all the selling Citi will still have consumer, commercial, and investment banking operations (basically the same corporate strategy).

So what is Citi going to try to hawk? Here are four candidates:

Continue reading What will Citi sell?

What will Citi sell? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 14 Jan 2009 08:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>BankbankingCfeaturedNYSESAndy weilSandyWeilVikram PanditVikramPanditWed, 14 Jan 2009 08:50:00 ESThttp://www.bloggingstocks.com/2009/01/13/will-citi-split-its-investment-and-commercial-banks/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2009/01/13/will-citi-split-its-investment-and-commercial-banks/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2009/01/13/will-citi-split-its-investment-and-commercial-banks/#commentsFiled under: Citigroup Inc. (C)

It's back to the future time at Citigroup (NYSE: C). We can just pretend that the last 11 years never happened. As I posted, that's when Sandy Weill merged his Travelers with Citi, which led to the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act. But as I suggested in a recent post, that whole process is being reversed with with Citi spinning off Smith Barney for $2.7 billion -- yielding a $5.8 billion after-tax gain for Citi.

And today, it looks like things are going a step further. That's because Citi CEO Vikram Pandit is talking about separating its commercial and investment banks. As someone who has been railing against this idea for decades, I am glad to see that Citi is talking about bagging that lousy financial supermarket idea.

It looks like Citi wants to dump the consumer side of its its business and keep the corporate and investment banking side. Interestingly, this is not that different from a proposal I posted about almost two years ago -- in April 2007 -- to divide Citi into Citigroup Consumer (CC) and Citigroup Business (CB). In that post I suggested Citi should have sold CC in 2006 and kept CB.

Continue reading So much for Glass-Steagall: Will Citi split its investment and commercial banks?

So much for Glass-Steagall: Will Citi split its investment and commercial banks? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 13 Jan 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>CCitigroupfeaturedVikram PanditVikramPanditTue, 13 Jan 2009 17:00:00 ESThttp://www.bloggingstocks.com/2009/01/12/will-citi-report-a-20-billion-loss-for-2008-and-dump-pandit/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2009/01/12/will-citi-report-a-20-billion-loss-for-2008-and-dump-pandit/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2009/01/12/will-citi-report-a-20-billion-loss-for-2008-and-dump-pandit/#commentsFiled under: Time Warner (TWX), Citigroup Inc. (C), Morgan Stanley (MS)

It's pretty obvious -- but not certain -- that Citigroup (NYSE: C) will report a worse-than-anticipated fourth quarter loss. Otherwise, why would there be so much discussion about selling Smith Barney, replacing Citi's Chairman Win Bischoff with Dick Parsons, former Time Warner (NYSE: TWX) Chairman, and maybe dumping current Citi CEO Vikram Pandit? The way the game is played, it looks better to be making changes prior to the announcement of bad numbers rather than after it.

But after losing $10 billion in the first three quarters of 2008, Citi appears poised to add not $2 billion but as much as $10 billion in losses to that total. Of course, the board is expressing confidence in Pandit's first year of leadership at Citi. He's been able to convince the government to cough up $45 billion in cash and guarantees on $269 billion of illiquid mortgage assets. And he might be able to sell Citi's share of Smith Barney to Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) for $2.5 billion in cash which would create a $6 billion after-tax gain.

The key threat for Pandit appears to be that Rubin -- who left Citi after a decade in which he took in $126 million as an advisor while Citi lost $164 billion in market value -- was a Pandit supporter. With Rubin gone, Parsons, who is Citi's lead director, has been weighing Pandit's future. The New York Times reports that Parsons has "met privately with several of the bank's top executives for lengthy discussions about their businesses, and in some cases, Pandit's management style."

If Citi announces a $20 billion loss, will it also announce Pandit's replacement?

Peter Cohan is president of Peter S. Cohan & Associates. He also teaches management at Babson College and is the author of You Can't Order Change: Lessons from Jim McNerney's Turnaround at Boeing. He owns Citi shares and has no financial interest in the other securities mentioned.

Will Citi report a $20 billion loss for 2008 and dump Pandit? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 12 Jan 2009 10:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>CinthenewsNYSERichard ParsonsRichardParsonsTWXVikram PanditVikramPanditWall StreetWallStreetMon, 12 Jan 2009 10:10:00 ESThttp://www.bloggingstocks.com/2009/01/12/the-confusion-at-citigroup-c-gets-more-confused/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2009/01/12/the-confusion-at-citigroup-c-gets-more-confused/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2009/01/12/the-confusion-at-citigroup-c-gets-more-confused/#commentsFiled under: Citigroup Inc. (C)

The Wall Street Journal says that Citigroup (NYSE:C) CEO Vikram Pandit has the support of the board. That is even with the bank likely to lose another $10 billion in the most recent quarter. Over at The New York Times, the business desk sees Citi sacking its chairman. "Federal banking regulators are pressing Citigroup to shake up its board and replace its chairman, Winfried F. W. Bischoff, in an effort to restore confidence in the beleaguered financial giant."

Since Pandit and Bischoff have overlapped during much of their time in power, the division of blame does not make a great deal of sense.

It would appear the government and board at the bank want to show that someone was punished for Citi's performance. Director Robert Rubin has already left. That was apparently not enough of a sacrifice. The reality of the matter is that the whole board and most of management have been part of the Citi strategic decision-making process for the last year to two years. There is plenty of responsibility to go around.

It sounds like Bischoff is gone. But, it is just a little theater. He did not do anything special except to sit on a board with a number of people who made a remarkable number of mistakes.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

The confusion at Citigroup (C) gets more confused originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 12 Jan 2009 08:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>CinthenewsPanditrobert rubinRobertRubinRubinvikram panditVikramPanditwall streetWallStreetWinfried F. W. BischoffWinfriedF.W.BischoffMon, 12 Jan 2009 08:50:00 ESThttp://www.bloggingstocks.com/2009/01/02/citigroup-c-cutting-bonuses-for-rich-people/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2009/01/02/citigroup-c-cutting-bonuses-for-rich-people/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2009/01/02/citigroup-c-cutting-bonuses-for-rich-people/#commentsFiled under: Citigroup Inc. (C), Goldman Sachs Group (GS)

The high and the mighty at Citigroup (NYSE: C) will not take bonuses for 2008. That includes CEO Vikram Pandit, Chairman Win Bischoff, and board member extraordinaire Robert Rubin.

It may save Citi shareholders a few million dollars, but it is hardly much of a penalty for an awful year in which the bank's stock fell 77%. The management at Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) skipped bonuses and their shares were only down 58%.

The bonus cuts are just window dressing. Rubin has made millions of dollars serving on the Citi board. According to Bloomberg, "Pandit got $165 million from Citigroup in 2007 when he sold Old Lane Partners LP, the hedge fund he co-founded and ran."

Put another way, the loss of bonus money probably means very little to these people. The humiliation is a greater pain than the financial sacrifice.

That really leaves no penalty other than to fire the three. So far, the Citi board has shown it does not have the guts to do that.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

Citigroup (C): Cutting bonuses for rich people originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 02 Jan 2009 08:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>CGSinthenewsRobert RubinRobertRubinVikram PanditVikramPanditFri, 02 Jan 2009 08:52:00 ESThttp://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/12/18/if-things-get-uglier-at-citigroup-c-does-the-government-pick-u/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/12/18/if-things-get-uglier-at-citigroup-c-does-the-government-pick-u/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/12/18/if-things-get-uglier-at-citigroup-c-does-the-government-pick-u/#commentsFiled under: Analyst Reports, Citigroup Inc. (C)

There have been growing concerns that the financial condition of Citigroup (NYSE: C) is getting worse and not better since the government bailed the bank out two months ago. Now, the question is coming up again regarding what will happen if Citi needs a lot more capital.

According to Reuters, "Veteran banking analyst Richard Bove widened his fourth-quarter loss estimate for Citigroup , saying the bank may take sizable write-downs in its capital-markets operations." That does not mention the huge problems that the bank may have with its consumer credit portfolios. Default rates on credit cards have been spiking up for several months and should go up further as unemployment rises.

What happens if Citi has to raise several billion more dollars? The government may not be as generous as it was the last time. It may want preferred stock at a better price and warrant coverage on the stock which could cause dilution for current shareholders, depending on how it is structured. If the government is smart it will require that some private equity needs to be put into the bank along with a federal investment.

All of that means that Citi's stock price is almost certainly moving down. The firm's shares trade at $7.83 and it has a market cap of $42 billion. If the company needs to bring in $10 billion it may have to offer stock at a below market price. That could cut the share price to $5 or perhaps lower.

No one in his right mind wants Citi shares now.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

If things get uglier at Citigroup does the government pick up the pieces? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 18 Dec 2008 09:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Ccitigroupinthenewsrichard boveRichardBoveVikram PanditVikramPanditwall streetWallStreetThu, 18 Dec 2008 09:40:00 ESThttp://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/12/04/citigroups-pandit-may-give-up-that-big-bonus-he-does-not-deserv/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/12/04/citigroups-pandit-may-give-up-that-big-bonus-he-does-not-deserv/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/12/04/citigroups-pandit-may-give-up-that-big-bonus-he-does-not-deserv/#commentsFiled under: Management, Citigroup Inc. (C)

Vikram Pandit, CEO of Citigroup (NYSE: C), and his top managers may give up their 2008 bonuses as a show that they are willing to make sacrifices after the federal government saved the bank with a huge bailout package. Board member Robert Rubin may have been the first to suggest the move.

According to the FT, "People close to the situation said last week's government rescue made it almost impossible for Citi's board to award cash bonuses to other senior executives, led by chief executive Vikram Pandit."

For anyone not paying attention to the Citi mess, its stock has been down as much as 90% this year. The federal government is pouring money into the bank like water, and the company is still losing money due to consumer credit losses, bad LBO loans, and mortgage derivatives.

To put a point on it, why would the Citi board even consider bonuses in the first place without the risk of being tarred and feathered by shareholders and the government?

"Giving up" bonuses is a meaningless gesture for executives who do not deserve them and would likely get nothing in the first place. Maybe it is nice PR.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

Citigroup's Pandit may give up that big bonus he does not deserve originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 04 Dec 2008 10:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cciticitigroupinthenewsRobert RubinRobertRubinVikram PanditVikramPanditThu, 04 Dec 2008 10:20:00 ESThttp://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/11/28/stay-away-from-citigroup-c/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/11/28/stay-away-from-citigroup-c/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/11/28/stay-away-from-citigroup-c/#commentsFiled under: Newsletters, Citigroup Inc. (C), Stocks to Sell, Financial Crisis

Many investors are calling brokers or turning to blogs and asking, "Is it time to buy the financials? Aren't they all safe now? Aren't they cheap?"

The bounce started with the rescues of Citigroup (NYSE: C), so let me begin right there.

The recent bailout of Citigroup is deemed to be in the billions; but the future potential amount needed at Citi, and the other banks, is in the trillions. The difference can be seen in page 21 of Citigroup CEO Vikram Pandit's town hall presentation to employees on November 17. Page 21 is a perfect metaphor for all that has gone wrong and continues to be wrong in the financial system. The page is purposely obscure. I know of no journalist or published analyst who spent any serious time -- and that means more than five seconds -- considering the math presented on that page.

Using household terms such as "QSPEs" and "VIEs," Pandit revealed that Citi has more than $1.2 trillion dollars in off-balance sheet assets. These off-balance sheet entities are similar in structure to Enron's SPVs (special purpose vehicles) Citi and other banks created, and in the past backed, and they hold assets of unknown quality. I can only assume if their value was known, and anywhere near par, they would be on the balance sheet.

Page 21 has two graphs. One is a bar chart for QSPEs (qualifying special purpose entities, similar to Enron's SPVs) that describes in very succinct terms various chunks of assets. First: $667 billion in mortgage-backed securities, which has a tag "Citi does not bear credit risk. Unlikely that majority will come on balance sheet." If there is no credit risk, why not put them on the balance sheet or tell us what they are?

Continue reading Stay away from Citigroup (C)

Stay away from Citigroup (C) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 28 Nov 2008 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bailoutCfeaturedfinancialsVikram PanditVikramPanditFri, 28 Nov 2008 13:30:00 ESThttp://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/11/25/john-thain-for-citi-ceo/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/11/25/john-thain-for-citi-ceo/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/11/25/john-thain-for-citi-ceo/#commentsFiled under: Citigroup Inc. (C), Bank of America (BAC), Wachovia Corp (WB)


It's been almost a year since December 12, 2007, when Vikram Pandit took over as CEO of Citigroup (NYSE: C). His performance has been outstanding -- and not in a good way. During the last four quarters, Citi lost $20 billion. Sure Pandit has plans to fire 52,000 people and he's raised at least $45 billion from the U.S., along with guarantees on $277 billion worth of Citi's bad assets. But he botched the acquisition of Wachovia (NYSE: WB). And Citi stock has fallen 81% wiping out $138 billion in stock market value.

By contrast, John Thain, who took over as CEO from the Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) subsidiary Merrill Lynch, was far more agile as things cratered around him. Arguably, Thain had an even worse hand than Pandit when he took over Merrill Lynch because his predecessor had loaded it up with mortgage-backed securities at precisely the wrong time. But Thain could see Merrill's stock plummetting as it got trapped in a short play. And he salvaged shareholders' investment by selling to Bank of America.

Now CNBC's Charlie Gasparino reports that Pandit has about half a mistake more to make before he's out of a job. But this is not a problem for Citi shareholders as long as its board can convince Thain to leave Bank of America where he has taken on a sub-CEO role so he can get back into the big saddle at Citi. Count me among those shareholders who would be happy to see Pandit exit stage right as Thain enters.

Peter Cohan is President of Peter S. Cohan & Associates. He also teaches management at Babson College and edits The Cohan Letter. He owns Citigroup stock and has no financial interest in the other securities mentioned.

John Thain for Citi CEO originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 25 Nov 2008 17:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>BACCJohn ThainJohnThainVikram PanditVikramPanditWBTue, 25 Nov 2008 17:50:00 ESThttp://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/11/24/when-will-citi-go-back-to-the-government-for-more/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/11/24/when-will-citi-go-back-to-the-government-for-more/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/11/24/when-will-citi-go-back-to-the-government-for-more/#commentsFiled under: Citigroup Inc. (C), Economic Data, Federal Reserve, Financial Crisis

Citigroup (NYSE: C) got a bailout from the government, but is the deal big enough to save Citi? This deal sounds like an interim solution rather than a permanent one. That's because after losing $20 billion in the last year, Citi has $2 trillion in on-balance sheet assets; another $1.23 trillion in off-balance sheet assets; and $36.8 trillion in derivatives. It is likely that the losses from these financial WMDs could exceed the amount Citi got from the government.

What does Citi get? Under the terms of the deal, Citi gets $20 billion in cash from the government (on top of the $25 billion it already received); Citi must cover the first $29 billion in losses of a $306 billion pool of assets -- the government picks up 90% of the remaining losses with Citi covering the other 10% from its mortgage-related assets; and Vikram Pandit gets to keep his job. The Treasury Department will use TARP to cover the first $5 billion of losses; the FDIC will take on the next $10 billion; and the Fed will assume any additional losses.

What does the U.S. receive? The U.S. gets $27 billion in preferred stock yielding an 8% interest rate. And that preferred stock comes with warrants to buy 254 million shares at $10.61 each. Citi must also pay no more than a penny a share dividend for three years -- down from 16 cents recently. The U.S. also negotiated executive compensation restrictions.

Continue reading When will Citi go back to the government for more?

When will Citi go back to the government for more? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 24 Nov 2008 08:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Bank stocksBanksBankStocksCfeaturedNYSEvikram panditVikramPanditWall StreetWallStreetMon, 24 Nov 2008 08:27:00 ESThttp://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/11/21/will-citi-take-a-dirt-nap/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/11/21/will-citi-take-a-dirt-nap/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/11/21/will-citi-take-a-dirt-nap/#commentsFiled under: Other Issues, Citigroup Inc. (C), Financial Crisis

Citigroup (NYSE: C) recently revived advertising slogan is reassuring: "Citi never sleeps." The idea is that since it operates in 100 countries, there is always a Citi employee on the job. But even if you have 300,000 employees, a company can only survive if those people are doing the right things when they're on the job. If not, Citi might never sleep, but it could take a dirt nap.

Citi stock has lost half its value this week and, at $4.71, is down 92% from its September 2000 high of $57.50. Prince Alwaleed said it was dramatically undervalued -- and that was yesterday morning before it lost 26% of its value. I suggested yesterday that the Prince may have miscalculated. How so? If you think that value can be measured by comparing the stock price to potential earnings growth, then I think the Prince overestimated the earnings growth part . For instance, its global cards and consumer lending business makes up 67.3% of net revenues, and global cards shrank 40% in the third quarter.

Since the prince has so much of his diminishing wealth -- his investment fund was down 63% as of yesterday -- tied up in Citi stock, he may have decided that people's memory of his 1991 investment killing based on buying at split-adjusted $2.98 -- will draw in buyers. But things are different now. Citi has posted huge write-downs in four consecutive quarters of losses totaling $20 billion; nine of its investment funds have collapsed this year; it will lose money due to write-offs of consumer loans, commercial real estate, and mortgages; and it has trillions of exposure to derivatives and illiquid assets.

Continue reading Will Citi take a dirt nap?

Will Citi take a dirt nap? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 21 Nov 2008 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>CeconomyfeaturedNYSEPrince Alwaleedprince alwaleed bin talalPrinceAlwaleedPrinceAlwaleedBinTalalVikram PanditVikramPanditWall StreetWallStreetFri, 21 Nov 2008 08:30:00 ESThttp://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/11/14/citigroup-ceo-vikram-pandit-buying-c-stock/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/11/14/citigroup-ceo-vikram-pandit-buying-c-stock/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/11/14/citigroup-ceo-vikram-pandit-buying-c-stock/#commentsFiled under: Good news, Insiders, Options, Technical Analysis
Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C) shares are lower today, dragged down by the overall market. However, it has been reported that CEO Vikram Pandit and another big shot at C have recently purchased a combined one million shares of the bank's stock. These guys may just be making a big show of confidence, but it is still roughly $9M on the line in these transactions. If you think that insider buying means the stock won't fall by too much in the coming months, then now could be a good time to look at a bullish hedged trade on C.

C opened this morning at $9.76. So far today the stock has hit a low of $8.79 and a high of $10.11. As of 1:55, C is trading at $9.19, down 0.26 (-2.8%). The chart for C looks bearish and S&P gives C a neutral 3 STARS (out of 5) hold ranking.

For a bullish hedged play on this stock, I would consider a December bull-put credit spread below the $5 range. A bull-put credit spread is an options position that combines the purchase and sale of put options to hedge risk in case the stock doesn't do what you think but still leverage nice returns. For this particular trade, we will make a 10.1% return in just five weeks as long as C is above $5 at December expiration. Citi would have to fall by more than 45% before we would start to lose money. Learn more about this type of trade here.

C hasn't been below $8 at all in the past year and has shown support around $8.25 recently.

Brent Archer is an options analyst and writer at Investors Observer.

DISCLOSURE: Mr. Archer owns and/or controls diversified portfolios of long and short stock and option positions that may include holdings in companies he writes about. At publication time, Brent neither owns nor controls positions in C.

Citigroup CEO Vikram Pandit buying C stock originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 14 Nov 2008 15:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ccitigroupinsider buyingInsiderBuyinginthenewsInvestors ObserverInvestorsObserveroptionsvikram panditVikramPanditFri, 14 Nov 2008 15:11:00 EST