Crisis Repeat - Prins, Bloomberg
During the 2008 financial crisis, the biggest U.S. banks bought and stuffed the riskiest mortgages (subprime) into trillions of dollars of toxic assets. They then sold those financial products around the world. When the crisis hit, stock investments and retirement portfolios were crushed. A similar pattern is repeating now.
The Proof: “Goldman Sachs and Citigroup are among the banks that have doused companies with debt to an extent that would have been almost unthinkable a year ago.” Moreover, “They’re piling loans onto corporations that are being purchased in leveraged buyouts.”
This matters because banks that investors believe to be the most secure on Wall Street are also some of the most debt leveraged. In times of crisis, these companies could be the first to drop. Here’s how the situation is unfolding right now and what you need to know.