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This is Money
Financial institutions ran to their lender of last resort for record amounts of cash in the latest week, under extreme pressure from the worst global financial crisis in a generation, Federal Reserve data showed on Thursday.
Banks borrow record $437.5 billion per day from Fed
It is a full week after bankers gathered in New York to start sorting out the derivatives mess left by the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers. We still do not know who is on the hook for some $360bn of default insurance, or how much they will have to pay.
Fears of Lehman's CDS derivatives haunt markets
With commodities prices plunging and resource stocks under huge selling pressure, a consortium of major Japanese and Korean steelmakers is believed to be poised for a daring $4 billion swoop on one of Brazils largest iron ore mining companies.
Asian consortium poised for $4 billion swoop on mining company
Without rapid recovery in the world economy, mining companies will have to mothball projects to limit cost blowouts. This may result in big writedowns.
Miners may be forced into writedowns
Prime brokers have this week hiked up the cost of trading for hedge funds.
Hedge fund squeeze wreaks havoc in equity markets
Hedge fund managers are paranoid. And they are right to be. The other day I had lunch with a senior financial official whose view of hedge funds was simple. They were a con. The returns were all due to leverage. And now that the leverage has gone everyone will see they were a con.
Bankers take a billhook to the hedge funds
One of Londons best known hedge funds, Gradient Capital Partners, is on the brink of collapse after dropping nearly 42pc in value last month.
Gradient close to collapse as hedge funds feel heat
Troubles mounted for some of the worlds biggest hedge funds on Thursday as Highland Capital Management told investors it was shutting down two of its funds and details emerged of big losses at TPG-Axon.
Hedge funds in grip of vicious cycle
Prudential, one of the biggest UK life assurers, was on Thursday night forced to deny it was planning an imminent rights issue, as investor concerns spread to the plight of insurers.
Pru quashes rights issue talk
Oil slumped below $70 per barrel yesterday, hitting a 14-month low the price has halved in the last three months and prompting the world's oil-producing countries to call an emergency meeting next week to discuss cutting back on production.
Opec calls emergency summit as oil price halves
Gordon Brown has threatened petrol companies with an inquiry under competition laws if they refuse to pass on lower oil prices to motorists.
Brown: Petrol firms must lower fuel prices or face OFT inquiry
The crash in share prices, so severe at HBOS that it is now worth less than 10pc of its peak value three years ago, has pushed the market value of UK banks below their defined benefit pension liabilities.
British banks are now dwarfed by their own pension schemes
Britain's banks will face tougher regulation from a strengthened team of highly-paid monitors, the new head of the financial watchdog has warned.
Lord Turner vows tougher regulation of banks
The global credit crisis took a fresh turn on Thursday as Hungary and Ukraine approached international institutions for support in an effort to avoid following Iceland into financial turmoil.
Hungary, Ukraine look to IMF
Switzerland moved to restore confidence in its banking system on Thursday, agreeing to fund a vehicle that would take on most of the toxic debts held by UBS and injecting SFr6bn (3.9bn) to help recapitalise its former national banking champion.
Swiss to fund $60bn bad bank for UBS
In an extraordinary move for a nation proud of its financial prudence and stability, Switzerland was forced to take emergency measures yesterday to shore up its two biggest lenders to prevent a collapse in confidence in the country's banking system.
Is Switzerland the next Iceland?
South Koreas currency on Thursday suffered its worst one-day plunge for a decade, prompting growing fears that the country might become Asias first victim of the global financial crisis.
Korean won triggers further fears