Tapene til den amerikanske forsikringsgigantten AIG var på $ 62 milliarder i 4. kvartal – det største i amerikansk historie. Den britiske storbanken HSBC varslet at den trenger å reise 125 milliarder kroner, det største beløpet i britisk finanshistorie.

Børsene stupte.

Concerns over the global financial sector sparked the sale in US shares, after AIG, the US insurance, reported a quarterly loss of $62 billion, the largest in American history, as well as securing a further $30 billion in government funding.
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In London, the leading FTSE 100 index dipped 204.26 points, or 5.2 per cent, to close at 3,625.83, — a six-year low — sparked by fears over the banking sector after HSBC detailed plans to raise £12.5 billion in the largest cash call in UK corporate history. Investors were also continuing to reel over a sharp contraction in the US economy during the final three months of 2008.

Ingen har kontroll, og ingen vet hva som vil skje.

Statsminister Stoltenberg sier de som er så heldige å ha fast jobb vil få det enda bedre i 2009. Hvor er realismen?

US shares fall below 7,000 level to 12-year low