The U.S. has reportedly turned to Warren Buffett once more for help in a financial crisis.
The billionaire investor offered lifelines to Goldman Sachs in 2008 following the collapse of Lehman Brothers, and to Bank of America in 2011.
Now, Buffett has been in contact with the White House amid this year’s regional banking crisis, offering advice and guidance but also discussing an investment in the sector, Bloomberg News reported Sunday (March 19), citing unnamed sources.
Federal officials have sought to reassure the public over the past week after two high-profile banking failures: the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank on March 10, followed by the failure of Signature Bank two days later.
In a speech March 13, President Joe Biden told Americans they “can rest assured our banking system is safe. Your deposits are safe.”
That hasn’t kept politicians from both sides of the aisle for proposing tougher action against the banking sector. In that same speech, Biden called for a “full accounting” of what led to the two bank failures.
Later in the week, the top Republican and Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee said they’d scheduled a hearing for later this month to question top officials from the Federal Reserve and Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.
“The House Financial Services Committee is committed to getting to the bottom of the failures of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank,” Republican Patrick McHenry and Democrat Maxine Waters said in a news release. “This hearing will allow us to begin to understand why and how these banks failed.”
Worries about the industry continued late into the week, with a group of 11 large banks banding together to help another regional bank — First Republic of California — with a $30 billion injection.
“Last weekend felt like the wild, wild West,” Charlie Youakim, CEO of payments startup Sezzle, told PYMNTS CEO Karen Webster soon after the SVB failure. “SVB had been around forever, they had a great brand. [Its collapse] is a big shock to me.
Now, he added, there’s a conversation happening across the ecosystem about the future of banking, as they begin to be more diligent about where they keep their money.
“We’ve got a board meeting later this week to go over the set of banks that [Sezzle] works with,” said Youakim. “We’re putting together a report of what these banks look like, their financial stability … because it’s not the case anymore that you can just trust your bank, trust that your money will be safe.”
TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was up more than 100 points in late-morning trading, helped by strength in base metal and utility stocks, while U.S. stock markets were mixed.
The S&P/TSX composite index was up 103.40 points at 24,542.48.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 192.31 points at 42,932.73. The S&P 500 index was up 7.14 points at 5,822.40, while the Nasdaq composite was down 9.03 points at 18,306.56.
The Canadian dollar traded for 72.61 cents US compared with 72.44 cents US on Tuesday.
The November crude oil contract was down 71 cents at US$69.87 per barrel and the November natural gas contract was down eight cents at US$2.42 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was up US$7.20 at US$2,686.10 an ounce and the December copper contract was up a penny at US$4.35 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 16, 2024.
TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was up more than 200 points in late-morning trading, while U.S. stock markets were also headed higher.
The S&P/TSX composite index was up 205.86 points at 24,508.12.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 336.62 points at 42,790.74. The S&P 500 index was up 34.19 points at 5,814.24, while the Nasdaq composite was up 60.27 points at 18.342.32.
The Canadian dollar traded for 72.61 cents US compared with 72.71 cents US on Thursday.
The November crude oil contract was down 15 cents at US$75.70 per barrel and the November natural gas contract was down two cents at US$2.65 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was down US$29.60 at US$2,668.90 an ounce and the December copper contract was up four cents at US$4.47 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 11, 2024.
TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was little changed in late-morning trading as the financial sector fell, but energy and base metal stocks moved higher.
The S&P/TSX composite index was up 0.05 of a point at 24,224.95.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 94.31 points at 42,417.69. The S&P 500 index was down 10.91 points at 5,781.13, while the Nasdaq composite was down 29.59 points at 18,262.03.
The Canadian dollar traded for 72.71 cents US compared with 73.05 cents US on Wednesday.
The November crude oil contract was up US$1.69 at US$74.93 per barrel and the November natural gas contract was up a penny at US$2.67 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was up US$14.70 at US$2,640.70 an ounce and the December copper contract was up two cents at US$4.42 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 10, 2024.
