When investors or depositors ask for the immediate withdrawal of 71% of their money there is only one thing to call it: a run on the bank.
The selling in the markets is still quiet, and overshadowed by some of the visible bubbles in financial assets and rosy headlines. The bank bailouts are working, but only to produce a false Spring to lure in the last of the greater fools.
The economy is not improving fundamentally, the recovery is not sustainable, and the wealthy insiders are increasingly trying to liquidate investment positions to raise cash and diversify their holdings into cash and hard assets.
Risk is once again being spread from the financial sector to the public, which is what Fed Chairman Greenspan had said was one of the objectives of the Fed in their positions on the regulation of complex financial products. We were assured that the markets were sound, no additional regulation was required, the pensions were adequately funded. And finally when disaster struck and the facade fell away, that a generation's ransom was required by the banks, in order to heal themselves and avert disaster.
And then they took the money for themselves.
"He's mad, that trusts in the tameness of a wolf, a horse's health, a boy's love, or a whore's oath." The Fool, King LearAnd so they have made fools of us all.
Reuters
Cerberus clients overwhelmingly want out
Fri Aug 28, 2009 4:21pm
BOSTON (Reuters) - Cerberus Capital Management has been swamped with redemption requests with the Wall Street Journal reporting that investors are asking to pull out $5.5 billion or 71 percent of assets from its hedge funds.
Cerberus last month tried to entice investors into staying with the firm, but found that its clients overwhelmingly wanted to leave, the newspaper reported.
"We have been surprised by this response," Cerberus chief Stephen Feinberg and co-founder William Richter wrote in a letter delivered to clients late on Thursday, according to the newspaper.
A spokesman for the firm was not immediately available for comment.
The bulk of investors elected to put their money into a fund that will liquidate hard-to-sell assets over time.
The news comes as several prominent hedge fund managers have closed their funds and as investors are less willing to leave their money locked up in potentially risky hedge funds.
Last year, when the average hedge fund lost 19 percent, Partners lost 24.5 percent on investments.
