Each business day HedgeCo.Net keeps you informed with the top hedge fund industry news, opinion and insight from around the globe. From the latest hedge fund launches, to the impact of regulation, competition, and investor activism - we track the topics and people that make a difference to you.
Now that some policymakers are shifting out of crisis mode, some of the competitive considerations that dominated regulatory discussions during the tenure of former U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson are re-emerging. Nowhere is this more apparent than in contrasting approaches to regulation of alternative investment fund managers–hedge funds and private equity firms–being considered by the E.U. and the United States.
CNBC – Li Lianzhong, who heads the economic department of the Party’s policy research office, said China should use more of its $1.95 trillion in foreign exchange reserves to buy energy and natural resource assets.
Speaking at a foreign exchange and gold forum, Li also said that buying land in the United States was a better option for China than buying U.S. Treasury securities.
Reuters – The U.S. Treasury raised its offer by $250 million (168.9 million pounds) in debt restructuring talks with Chrysler lenders on Wednesday as part of a final push to win over lenders holding out for better terms and avoid bankruptcy, two people person briefed on the closed-door talks said.
The lenders had until 6 p.m. ET to vote on the offer, which was made late Wednesday afternoon, one of the sources said.
BusinessWeek – The anger was evident at Citigroup’s annual meeting on Apr. 21, where shareholders took turns at the microphone to object to how the bank has been operating. The meeting is usually a well-attended affair lasting many hours as shareholders air their grievances, and Tuesday’s gathering was as somber and full of ire as ever.
When Citi Chairman Richard Parsons recognized the five departing members of the board, who include ex-chairman Win Bischoff and former U.S. Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin, one man from the audience yelled out: "Thank God you’ve gone!"
Daily Times – Banks and hedge funds that hold $6.9 billion in Chrysler LLC debt have proposed forgiving $2.5 billion of it in exchange for about a 40 percent stake a Chrysler-Fiat alliance, according to two people briefed on the proposal.
One of the people said the lenders delivered their counterproposal to Chrysler and the U.S. Treasury Department late Monday night. Neither person wanted to be identified because the negotiations are private.
Reuters – Finance ministers from rich nations, when they meet on Friday, will face less economic turbulence than at their last gathering two months ago, but they recognize they need developing nations to step up spending to revive the world economy.
Acknowledging the growing economic might of developed nations, U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner scheduled a gathering of officials from the Group of 20 wealthy and emerging economies next Friday immediately on the heels of a meeting of the rich Group of Seven.
New York (HedgeCo.Net) – The Obama administration is considering a deal in which they would forgive part of the $13.4 billion owed to them from General Motors Corp. in exchange for an equity stake in the company, according to a report by Bloomberg News who citing people familiar with the matter.
The deal comes as GM approaches their June 1 deadline to show they can become viable, the sources said.
GM is already considering breaking up the company into a sector comprised of only the profitable parts, such as Chevrolet and Cadillac, while the non-profitable entities, such as Hummer, can be liquidated.
GM still has major debt obligations to its bondholders, who are owed about $27.5 billion. The company also owes its health care fund about $20 billion. Retirees who are entitled to health care benefits would most likely get more equity in the new entity than the bondholders.
Bondholders previously opposed a plan by GM that would give them 90 percent equity in the newly restructured company, though that would have required them to swap most of their stake at the time.
President Obama has been vocal in his belief that bankruptcy is the best option for GM, though new CEO Fritz Henderson is doing everything he can to avoid that scenario. GM continues to work with the U.S. Treasury and the Obama administration in hopes of achieving a new, reorganized business model.
Julie Scuderi Senior Editor for HedgeCo.Net Email: julie@hedgeco.net
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Reuters – Lawrence Summers, a top economic adviser to U.S. President Barack Obama, was paid about $5.2 million (3.48 million pounds) by hedge fund D.E. Shaw in the past year, financial disclosure forms released by the White House showed on Friday.
Summers, a former U.S. Treasury secretary and Harvard University president, also was paid $2.7 million in speaking fees by a range of organizations and companies, including several troubled Wall Street financial firms, they showed.
EasyBourse.com – The U.S. and Germany are going "in the same direction" ahead of next week’s G20 summit, a spokesman for Chancellor Angela Merkel said Friday amid reports of rifts between Europe and the U.S.
There are "no points of contention here between us and the U.S. government. For both of us, and our position has been made clear for some time, regulation of financial markets is the focus of the meeting," the spokesman said after Merkel and U.S. President Barack Obama held a video conference Thursday.
"The proposals that (U.S. Treasury Secretary) Timothy Geithner has put on the table when it comes to regulation of certain players – hedge funds and others – show that we are proceeding together in the same direction," spokesman Ulrich Wilhelm told a regular press briefing.
In Obama’s first trip to Europe since being elected, the Group of 20 summit on April 2 – which brings together major industrialized and developing nations – takes place against the backdrop of the worst financial crisis in decades.
Reuters – Bridgewater Associates Inc, one of the world’s biggest hedge-fund managers, said on Tuesday it might be interested in participating in the U.S. Treasury’s public-private investment program, calling it a "big transfer of money from the government to the banks and to the buyers."
Bridgewater manages roughly $80 billion in global investments for a wide array of institutional clients, including foreign governments and central banks.
In a letter to clients, Bridgewater said its interest in buying the distressed assets under the terms being offered would depend on the pricing and on "whether we can get over our fears of partnering with the government."
New York (HedgeCo.Net) – As the national outrage over bonuses paid to AIG execs reaches epic proportions, U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner promised the government will recoup the $165 million that was shelled out using bailout money.
“We will impose on AIG a contractual commitment to pay the Treasury from the operations of the company the amount of retention rewards just paid,” Geithner wrote, after claiming it would be difficult to physically take back the bonuses. “In addition, we will deduct from the $30 billion in assistance an amount equal to the amount of those payments.”
Arguing that the U.S. government essentially owns a majority of the failed insurance giant, Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee Barney Frank said, “I think the time has to exercise our ownership rights, and then say, as owner, ‘No, I’m not paying you the bonus. You didn’t perform. You didn’t live up to this contract.’”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi agreed, saying she would urge members to draft legislation this week that could recoup frivolous spending from taxpayer-funded aid.
“Most appallingly, while millions of Americans struggle through this economy, those who have received the largest measure of taxpayer assistance from the Treasury Department have shown no restraint,” Pelosi said.
New York Senator Charles Schumer warned that if those bonuses were not returned to their “rightful owners,” then Congress would pass laws to tax those bonuses “at a very high rate.” Senate Finance Committee members agreed, proposing taxes as high as 70 percent on those payments.
While disdain over the issue may have caused Barack Obama to act swiftly, the nearly decimated public opinion on bailouts may pose a problem for institutions seeking government funds going forward. AIG has so far received $173 billion of taxpayer-funded federal assistance.
Julie Scuderi Senior Editor for HedgeCo.Net Email: julie@hedgeco.net
HedgeCo.Net is a premier hedge fund database and community for qualified and accredited investors only. Membership on www.hedgeco.net is FREE and EASY. We also offer FREE LISTINGS for Hedge Funds! Be sure to check out our sister sites. www.hedgefundlounge.com, www.hedgefundtools.com, and www.hedgefundemployment.com
New York (HedgeCo.Net) – Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus has introduced a new bill aimed at halting offshore tax evasion by U.S. companies.
The new bill is in response to Senator Levin’s “Stop Tax Haven Abuse Act,” which also seeks to crack down on offshore jurisdictions and impose tighter restrictions for hedge funds.
The bill will entail several facets, mainly the requirement to report transfers of capital to offshore locations. Any financial institution that directly or indirectly transfers a minimum of $10,000 to an offshore institution must give a detailed report to the U.S. Treasury with the customer’s name, both the onshore and offshore bank associated with the transaction, the amount, along with the account number and type of account. Right now, this information is required to be filed with the Internal Revenue Service, in something known as an FBAR filing.
Any institution who fails to report these transfers or any person who does not include this information with their tax returns would face fines and penalties. The draft bill may have more burdensome reporting requirements and compliance issues for hedge fund managers that do business offshore, but it differs greatly from the “Stop Tax Haven Abuse Act” introduced on March 2 by Senator Levin (D-MI), which would have harsher consequences and stricter requirements for hedge funds.
Stating that offshore tax havens “are engaged in economic warfare against the United States, and honest, hardworking Americans,” the bill essentially seeks to increase the disclosure of offshore accounts, holdings, transactions and entities while increasing the strength and jurisdiction of the U.S. Treasury. Penalties of up to $1 million per violation are expected to be enforced for failure to report to the SEC.
Foreign corporations that are managed and controlled in the United States will be treated as a domestic corporation and will therefore be responsible for paying U.S. taxes. It is estimated that 80 percent of the country’s largest companies have subsidiaries in tax havens. Levin also seeks to close the tax loophole associated with offshore dividends.
Hedge funds will be required to establish anti-money laundering programs as well as use due diligence to evaluate investors supplying offshore funds. The bill also creates a tighter cohesion between the Treasury and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
The Levin Bill seeks to end the estimated $100 billion in lost tax revenue each year from offshore tax abuse.
Julie Scuderi Senior Editor for HedgeCo.Net Email: julie@hedgeco.net
HedgeCo.Net is a premier hedge fund database and community for qualified and accredited investors only. Membership on www.hedgeco.net is FREE and EASY. We also offer FREE LISTINGS for Hedge Funds! Be sure to check out our sister sites. www.hedgefundlounge.com, www.hedgefundtools.com, and www.hedgefundemployment.com
