When Glass-Steagall forced J.P. Morgan to separate his commercial banking from his investment banking operations, he spun off the investment banking into what is now Morgan Stanley.
Susan Pulliam, Liz Rappaport, Aaron Lucchetti, and Jenny Strasburg chronicle Morgan Stanley's death throes. Evan Newmark tells us how greed did in Morgan Stanley writing at the Deal Journal on the Wall Street Journal's website.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
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3 comments:
This article by Evan Newark certainly exemplifies the pitfalls that can result from a partially controlled economy. When growth prospect are high, firms obviously want the federal government to create conditions that allow for expansive growth, however, as was detailed in Newark's article, when times are tough, companies want market conditions that afford them protection from the pitfalls of a fast paced free market.
Both of these conditions create moral hazard, though. When firms have government backing and overexpand, they create a bubble. However, without having to face the fear of going bankrupt, what prevent the firms from acting with wild abandon when the market is growing? This is exemplary of the moral hazard that has turned this bubble into a government intervention-fest.
I have to say very interesting article. I thought it did a good job of critiquing Wall Street and the people who called for free markets. They wanted to the freedom and they couldn't handle the freedom. Again I think it is ironic how fast Wall Street can jump ship. One minute your clients are losing money, so they pullout, then the next minute your possibilities are endless and your former clients are begging at your door. Just like the article stated "money heals all wounds" in the financial markets.
Everyone wants to stop the short sellers, but why shouldn't people have the right to get out of an industry if they see bad management. I think its irrational to hand over your time and money and not expect some sort of return. The Demise of Morgan Stanley was in part because of mass short selling, but maybe Morgan Stanley was just massively over priced and some stock owners felt like they should get out with their present gains and look for another suitable company which was more investable.
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