Global Financial Markets: Investment Markets Services

Overseas investors are unloading everything but U.S. Treasurys. Just one problem: We need the money.

Foreign investors are still showing a voracious appetite for U.S. Treasury bonds…but they’re selling everything else the United States has to offer.

According to the Treasury Department’s latest report - released Thursday - overseas investors bought a total of nearly $35 billion in Treasury bonds in August. But they dumped other securities, including corporate bonds, U.S. stocks and government-agency bonds, such as those from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. [Read more →]

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Recession fears overpower Google’s earnings and Buffett’s comments in choppy session.

Stocks ended a choppy session lower Friday - at the end of a turbulent week - as ongoing recession fears vied with Google’s earnings and bullish comments from Warren Buffett.

Treasury prices advanced, lowering the corresponding yields, and the dollar gained versus other major currencies. The credit market showed some signs of loosening, as several key lending rates declined. [Read more →]

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Investors work through Lehman’s announcement of a steep quarterly loss, getting a boost from some upbeat earnings forecasts and the dollar’s advance. Stocks ended higher Wednesday as investors scooped up shares battered in the previous session’s
selloff and sorted through Lehman Brothers’ steep quarterly loss and restructuring plans.

Strong earnings forecasts from FedEx and Texas Instruments, a firmer dollar, and lower oil and gold prices lent additional support. [Read more →]

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Wall Street firm reveals major restructuring: spin-off of commercial real estate assets and plan to sell stake in investment management division.
Lehman Brothers suffered its worst quarterly loss since going public, reporting a loss of nearly $4 billion Wednesday, and announced a series of drastic steps aimed at reviving the beleaguered firm.

Among those changes were plans by the firm to spin-off part of its commercial real estate assets, sell a majority stake of its investment management division and slash its annual dividend. [Read more →]

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