Tuesday 16 September 2008

Collapse of Lehman Brothers - Is the worse yet to come?

The collapse of Lehman Brothers is so huge that I feel compelled to write my two bits. The financial markets have suddenly plummeted overnight and most of the positive thinkers like me are hoping that this is the deep end of it and it will not get any worse. Will it get better from here onwards or is the worse yet to come?

Fingers are pointing at US with concern and some people on this side of the Atlantic are probably worrying what this situation has to do with them. In simple terms, companies like Lehman Brothers used to lend money to high street banks. High street banks then had the liquidity or cash to lend to mere mortals like us. Now, if the high street banks are not going to raise money easily, they will have difficulty lending it to us. In UK, the situation is already bad and the property market is infected with high interest rates and negative equity which is deterring people from buying.

Well, the outlook is certainly not good. There are rumors that the insurance giant AIG could be next in the financial crisis. Banks are anticipating the next two weeks to be volatile, lets see what happens. Investors who have the holding capacity are advised to not panic and think long term. Stay away from high risk investments! You are better off leaving your savings in fixed deposits.

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