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The dollar has plummeted against all major currencies on dire US retail sales and fears that the Federal Reserve may need to slash interest rates further to stop the downward spiral in the credit markets.
US Dollar plunge sets off global alarm bells
Henry Paulson urged Wall Street banks yesterday to raise new capital rapidly to shore up their finances as a $22 billion (10.8 billion) investment fund collapsed, marking one of the worst casualties of the credit crisis. Announcing a plan to reform the American mortgage market, the US Treasury Secretary made the extraordinary plea to domestic lenders and urged them to cut dividends paid to shareholders to conserve capital.
US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson urges banks to bolster finances after Carlyle Capital Corporation collapses
Henry Paulson, the US Treasury Secretary, struggled to win hearts and minds on Wall Street yesterday with a set of proposals that, according to analysts, did little to address the root causes of America's financial crisis.
US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson's plan is safety policy for the future but no fix for present crisis
Carlyle Capital Corporation (CCC) was on the brink of collapse yesterday after the investment fund said it had defaulted on almost $17bn (8.4bn) of debt and warned that its creditors were likely to seize all of its remaining assets, leaving investors with little or nothing.
Creditors 'set to seize CCC assets' after debt defaults
Londons embattled hedge fund community is bracing for a spate of blow-ups in the wake of yesterdays $16 billion (7.9 billion) debt default by Carlyle Capital Corporation, the Dutch-listed affiliate of the American private equity group. Numerous small start-up credit hedge funds, managing between $10 million and $200 million of assets, are facing a funding squeeze, according to sources. The prime brokers that provide credit liquidity to these funds are beginning to withdraw financial support or heavily increase their margin calls, they said.
Small funds face credit squeeze as prime brokers withdraw financial support
The chief executive of one powerful "fund of funds" manager, which surveys the hedge fund universe for the best investments, thinks that it is all adding up to a major shake-out for the industry. "This is happening at a rate of one a day," he mused privately this week. "They are snapping like twigs."
Death of the hedge fund?
The credit crunch will leave a permanent 7.5bn dent in Alistair Darling's finances, detailed analysis shows. The Government expects the recent fall in share prices to cause a 2.25bn loss in potential revenues by next year - possibly more if the slump lasts longer.
Budget 2008: credit crunch ' knocks 7.5bn off finances'
The threat that the Bank of England's concerns about inflation will lead it to peg interest rates until the summer increased yesterday after it said that Britons expected prices to keep rising.
Inflation fears could keep interest rates on hold
Panicking investors snapped up gold yesterday as the price rose to more than $1,000 per ounce for the first time amid escalating fears of the global credit crisis. Oil also rose to a new record, at $110 a barrel, as the US dollar fell to fresh lows, fuelling fears of an American recession.
Gold soars as panicking investors seek safety
Taxpayers who mis-state their income on self-assessment tax returns will face much higher penalties following new measures introduced in the Budget, it emerged yesterday. Accountants warned that the 2008 Finance Bill would give HM Revenue & Customs the power to levy fines worth 30 per cent of unpaid tax if taxpayers "fail to take reasonable care" in preparing their tax returns.
Revenue increases fines on self-assessment tax returns
Clients of failed broker Global Trader Europe (GTE) could lose more than 20m, according to the latest update from administrators Smith & Williamson. GTE, which has approximately 200 clients, was forced into administration last month after an unnamed client sustained heavy losses. The administrators, who are trying to reconcile GTE's books, believe that in the worst-case scenario, only 14.5m out of about 37m of client money may be recoverable.
Global Trader Europe clients 'set to lose 20m'