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Well, Securum was managed by "experienced bankers." Who benefited from selling its assets at the beginning of a long boom market? Had they followed the political guidelines they were given, that is holding on to assets as long as neccessary to maximise returns, the company would not have lost nearly as much.

Separating the troubled assets from their originators seems to me to be another easy way of socialising losses and privatising profits.

by Trond Ove on Wed Oct 8th, 2008 at 11:20:06 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Separating the troubled assets from their originators seems to me to be another easy way of socialising losses and privatising profits.

As Securum took over the bad assets of the banks already taken over by the governement, I do not see how this applies?

Who benefited from selling its assets at the beginning of a long boom market?

Obviously, primarily those that had the resources to buy it up. But who knew that it was going to be a long boom market when they sold it off?

by A swedish kind of death on Wed Oct 8th, 2008 at 11:39:26 AM EST
[ Parent ]
On the first point. If the state had just recapitalised the nationalised banks and only refloated them on the market after they had sorted themselves out, there would have been strong institutional pressure to maximise the profit on these assets.

By separating the bad assets and putting bankers in control of them, there was strong institutional pressure to sell the assets off as soon as the economy started turning around.

The fact that they couldn't know that the boom would be so long does not excuse them for selling state assets at the absolute beginning of it. And economy is not all alchemy. It is possible to draw up general trend lines.

by Trond Ove on Wed Oct 8th, 2008 at 11:51:30 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Fair enough, I just wanted to sort that one out.
by A swedish kind of death on Wed Oct 8th, 2008 at 11:59:03 AM EST
[ Parent ]

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