Bailout Watch 353: Pimco Kills GM
To qualify for additional bailout billions on March 17, Congress dictated that GM must clear two main hurdles: reduce its public debt by two-thirds (via debt-for-equity swaps), convince the United Auto Workers (UAW) to accept half of contributions to a retiree healthcare trust in the form of GM stock, and lower union workers’ wages to parity with foreign automakers. OK, three. Three main hurdles. Oh, and eliminate the union jobs bank. So, four. Four hurdles. Within two hours of the Bush’s bailout bonanza, the UAW considered the conditions and said uh, no. And now GM’s third largest bondholders have left the investor committee considering the mandatory d-for-e swap, claiming “We’re just not good committee members.” Not so funny now, eh Mr. Bond holder? More specifically, Bill Gross of Pacific Investment Management Co. (a.k.a. Pimco) has just administered the official kiss of death to GM’s shot at meeting Congressional loan conditions. Either the pols will change the rules (the “we’re sorry we were so mean” scenario), or this is it: the remaining money will be used for GM’s post Chapter 11 debtor-in-possession financing.
This development comes as no surprise. Pimco, the world’s largest bond fund (still) revealed their strategy when they played chicken with the Fed and the Treasury Department over GMAC. In that case, the fund refused to take a haircut on its stake in the lender, betting that Uncle Sam wouldn’t let GMAC go belly-up.
In this they were proved right. In fact, Pimco made out better than the companies who believed the Treasury Department’s promise to let GMAC file if they couldn’t meet existing conditions to become a bank.As Bloomberg reports, “The value of the firm’s holdings soared as much as 83 percent, to 80.5 cents on the dollar.”
So why not play the same cards here? Is GM too big too fail; will its failure to satisfy Congress’ demands simply be another example of the company’s unaccountability? In that case, Pimco makes out. Again.
If, however, Uncle Sam pulls the plug/removes it teat, Pimco would lose, Big Style. But then, they’ve got money to lose. GM does not.
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The only time I have seen any regulatory stoppages of these foreign goods is when they have directly had an impact on AMERICANS. Hundreds of pets died before the product was pulled.The lead was only discovered and addressed after it had a direct impact and sickened Americans. They FLOOD are markets with their tainted goods and the FDA is undermanned and understaffed and has no possible chance of keeping up with the flood of goods entering our markets. They play on a hit and miss basis. Those products would still be on our shelves today if it had not killed hundreds of pets across our country. They would have slowly killed every pet in this nation if the dose was lower and noone would have none the difference. Denial, Why is it with so much facts to prove, do some deny . We need LAWS in place that monitor anything that enters this country prior to its entry. We need people to stand up for Human rights for people in slave shops if they are bringing their products here. We need laws that protect the enviroment around the world not only in the USA. Im tired of seeing our Government send billions of dollars to countries that hate our guts and yet we have a KATRINA and the hand is not there.
If we as Americans can send billions of dollars to other countries why is it so hard to help our own. If there is an earthquake in Taiwan we send money. If we have a Katrina it takes pulling teeth to get help. We give Pakistan billions and they house the enemy. We give millions to foreign businesses and offer encentives to go overseas. Americans lose their homes and we give monies to those taking them. Its time to start SUPPORTING AMERICANS and AMERICAN businesses. The time of ignoring the American worker and trying to make us seem as tho we are less than any other is over and our economy shows it. IF you are an AMERICAN its TIME to start buying only AMERICAN products and keeping our money home.