Skip navigation
Bailout Gallery
Russia is reportedly preparing to bail out some of its biggest financial institutions. Senior officials are scheduled to...
Debating why small banks were granted bailout funds, with Frank Sorrentino, North Jersey Community Bank chair & CEO; Gil...
Treasury Department invests another $20 billion into Citigroup, for a total f $45 billion, just as Citi shares hit a 16-...
Presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain react to the financial crisis, following the week of Lehman Brother...
David Faber breaks news of the federal government's plan to bailout struggling insurance giant AIG. The company's former...

Current DateTime: 10:56:06 05 Jul 2009
LinksList Documentid: 24355697
  • Collection of Michael Jackson

      Earlier this year, Jackson sought to auction his personal items. Although it never came through, here's a look at what was almost sold.

  • Recession-Resistant US Cities

      Some cities have been hit much harder than others during the recession. Here are the metro areas faring the best.

  • How Much For A T-Bone Steak?

      From the cost of a T-bone steak to a monthly phone bill, the price for everyday items can vary dramatically across the country.


Current DateTime: 10:56:05 05 Jul 2009
LinksList Documentid: 24890560
  • Boom, Bust and Blame

      The inside story of the economic crisis that has gripped the entire world.

  • E3: Gaming's Cutting Edge

      North America's premier computer and video game trade show draws tens of thousands of professionals to experience the future of interactive entertainment.

  • The Fall of GM

      A look into the fall of General Motors as the automaker heads toward bankruptcy and an effective nationalization.

$700 Billion May Not Be Enough: Dr Doom
By: CNBC.com | 26 Sep 2008 | 12:06 AM ET
Text Size

$700 billion may not be enough to bail out Wall Street says one analyst, given the lack of transparency and the length and breadth of financial markets involved.

Marc Faber, editor & publisher of 'The Gloom, Boom & Doom Report', told CNBC's Asia Squawk Box on Friday, he doubts that $700 billion would make any difference when you consider the size of U.S. credit markets.

"Looking at the size of the credit market in the United States, the equities market, the housing market and then looking at the size of the credit default swap market, which is around $62 trillion now, and the world wide derivatives market which is now $1,300 trillion dollars, I very much doubt that $700 billion would make any difference at all. In fact, I think it's a bad proposal in the sense that it will distort market pricing," Faber said. (Watch the complete Marc Faber interview on the U.S. bailout plan on the left)

Faber says that the fundamental problem is not falling home prices as U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson suggests.

"The problem is that too much money was lent against homes at inflated asset values. In other words that means at the peak of the market, people went and lent them 120 percent against the value of the home. And that is the problem—the leverage in the system," Faber said.

He added that the current bailout plan proposed by the Treasury and the U.S. Federal Reserve does not address this leverage problem in the markets.

More From CNBC.com

"My friend suggested what would be much cheaper—go in and buy a million homes in the United States and burn them down. Because that will reduce the supply. Of course it is an economic nonsense solution, but it is as good as the Treasury's proposal," Faber quipped.

Negotiations over the bailout to restore credit markets degenerated into chaos late Thursday, as politicians wrangled over the details of the rescue plan. And while the bickering on Capitol Hill heated up, Washington Mutual, the largest U.S. savings and loan bank, was taken over by authorities and with JPMorgan Chase buying up most of its assets.

U.S. stock futures fell by more than 1 percent. 

© 2009 CNBC.com
Tools:
Print EmailAdd This share icon


Current DateTime: 01:04:45 05 Jul 2009
LinksList Documentid: 29778428

Current DateTime: 01:15:33 05 Jul 2009
LinksList Documentid: 29779196

Current DateTime: 01:15:41 05 Jul 2009
LinksList Documentid: 29779199

Current DateTime: 01:15:33 05 Jul 2009
LinksList Documentid: 29779198
CNBCCNBC
About CNBC  |  Site Map  |  Privacy Policy  |  Terms of Service  |  Video Reprints  |  Advertise  |  Help  |  Contact
Partners: AOL Money  |  BloggingStocks.com
CNBC is a Division of NBC Universal
  Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes
Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes, and Market Data and Analysis

© 2009 CNBC, Inc.  All Rights Reserved.
Thomson ReutersThomson Reuters