by madpaddler » Thu 02 Oct 2008, 14:32:54
Well guys if Buffett is saying this, we are in for way more than can be imagined...this thing really has me scared shiatless now. Let the string of banks and business closures begin. Mine being one.
Buffett: Bailout may not be big enough
Investment guru says $700 billion bailout is crucial, but that it may not be large enough to solve the credit crisis.
By Chris Isidore, CNNMoney.com senior writer
Last Updated: October 2, 2008: 1:00 PM ET
(Fortune) -- Warren Buffett said Thursday that it is crucial to the global economy that the controversial $700 billion Wall Street bailout passes, but warned that the pricetag may have to rise.
Buffett also proposed that the U.S. Treasury Department and private investors team up to buy the troubled mortgage assets behind the crisis gripping markets worldwide.
"If we don't get [this] solved next week, I may go back to delivering papers," said Buffett during an appearance at Fortune's Most Powerful Women Summit in Aviara, Calif.
Buffett, the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A), likened the recent turmoil in the markets to an "economic Pearl Harbor" and said that a quick response is needed.
"We've never seen anything like this where perfectly credit-worthy companies can't get funds," he said.
He didn't estimate how much more money would be needed to buy enough toxic mortgage investments in order to create a more stable market and get credit flowing. On Wednesday, the Senate passed a $700 billion bailout package. The House is expected to vote on the revised bill on Friday, four days after rejecting an earlier version.
Buffett suggested that a partnership between Treasury and private investors to buy the assets.
"One easy way to do part of the program is to say to anybody - hedge fund operators, Wall Street firms, or anybody else - that the Treasury will lend you 80% of the purchase cost of a bunch of distressed assets," he said, explaining the concept of his proposal. The investors benefit from borrowing at lower rates, but Treasury gets first claims any returns from the sale of those assets before investors would get a penny.
"Now you have someone with 20% skin in the game," he explained. "Believe me I won't be overpaying if I'm buying with that kind of leverage. And you have someone [the investors] to manage the assets to the extent they need to be managed."
Buffett said that the bill that passed the Senate Wednesday evening isn't perfect, but that it's crucial to prevent the global economy from grinding to a halt. He then warned it will take a while to work and that the economy is going to struggle even with its passage.
"Anyone who thinks this bill is a panacea is [making] a mistake," he said. "Without it, it's a disaster."