WBZ's New England Business

How did this wild week on Wall Street happen?

  • Highlights
  • Full Text

Play from 0:00[0:00] ..." Japanese sold in the WBZ newsroom many investors are wondering how the stock market could possibly go into its biggest deals than ever this week. In accounting terms it's all about something called mark to market accounting. How to determine a fair value of an asset when the market is falling apart and there's really no market. -- G Peter Wilson at Boston College tells me banks and financial institutions have been stymied by their inability to value their investments mortgages and other holdings so assets are being sold. At fire sale"...

Play from 0:41[0:41] ..." price at which -- itself contending good times when there's plenty of bench mark available. As benchmark prices because people were treating CDs. Collateralized debt obligations return. Which are very difficult -- to value right now in good times when there's plenty of benchmarks trading going"...

Play from 1:15[1:15] ..." have said that this credit market will continue to be frozen until. Financial institutions can identify their assets and what their war."...

Play from 0:00[0:00]" This is Japanese sold in the WBZ newsroom many investors are wondering how the stock market could possibly go into its biggest deals than ever this week. In accounting terms it's all about something called mark to market accounting. How to determine a fair value of an asset when the market is falling apart and there's really no market. -- G Peter Wilson at Boston College tells me banks and financial institutions have been stymied by their inability to value their investments mortgages and other holdings so assets are being sold. At fire sale prices. I spoke with professor G Peter Wilson at the Carroll school of management at Boston College."

Play from 0:39[0:39]" Well every moment left and -- of the fair value of the price at which -- itself contending good times when there's plenty of bench mark available. As benchmark prices because people were treating CDs. Collateralized debt obligations return. Which are very difficult -- to value right now in good times when there's plenty of benchmarks trading going on it's fairly easy to come to. Objective assessment of what would be fair yes it is much more challenging when there's no trade obviously and that's a separate -- of."

Play from 1:12[1:12]" So what is needed. Two. As as many analysts have said that this credit market will continue to be frozen until. Financial institutions can identify their assets and what their war."

Play from 1:26[1:26]" tricky question there is we'd all we'd all love to know what their words and and we like to think that there's some true value underlying these. As a bit of wishful thinking. These there's there's a price sisters and market. And then we can use -- as a reference but the notion of a true -- it is. Is only true and -- And an announcement that that does that doesn't just -- right I mean reflect factors that true. Two of the value that for example Warren buffet Oprah. A value on something. It's different Wednesday some selling him -- and and he's been pretty -- for years so. Values that is how we attribute. We think something is worse. That's different in price because each of us were -- her own population. So less and I would have people think upon it is. When we talk about a crisis of confidence it means. Accounting perspective that the information we're getting. We just can't be as confident about it does not -- mother Teresa could be doing measuring. Or or Warren Buffett could -- measure of thousand people like him and we part becomes the difference as."

Related Episodes

How did this wild week on Wall Street happen?

audio

10 Oct 2008

How did this wild week on Wall Street happen? 

Boston College professor G. Peter Wilson tells WBZ's Anthony Silva there's a problem determining fair value for investments.

listen

[0:00]..." Japanese sold in the WBZ newsroom many investors are wondering how the stock market could possibly go into its biggest deals than ever this week. In accounting terms it's all about something called mark to market accounting. How to determine a fair value of an asset when the market is falling apart and there's really no market. -- G Peter Wilson at Boston College tells me banks and financial institutions have been stymied by their inability to value their investments mortgages and other holdings so assets are being sold. At fire sale "...

[0:41]..." price at which -- itself contending good times when there's plenty of bench mark available. As benchmark prices because people were treating CDs. Collateralized debt obligations return. Which are very difficult -- to value right now in good times when there's plenty of benchmarks trading going "...

[1:15]..." have said that this credit market will continue to be frozen until. Financial institutions can identify their assets and what their war. "...

timeline

2:38

Investors skittish about shaky financial institutions

audio

15 Sep 2008

Investors skittish about shaky financial institutions 

WBZ's Ed Walsh spoke to Samuel Hayes, financial professor emeritus of Harvard Business School.

listen

[0:08]..." it certainly is as as momentous. Event. That is the liquidation of Lehman Brothers and he. And the sales. Merrill Lynch. And it's it'll in history it'll be -- along -- it's the reorganization that took "...

[0:55]..." and IA -- expected. There to be are -- down. In the stock market after the initial shock has has worn off. "...

[1:22]..." Professor. And everybody knew that that Lehman Brothers including the people who work at Lehman it wasn't in trouble and it appeared last week the Bank of America first and "...

timeline

6:17

Getting Into College Part 1

audio

21 Nov 2008

Getting Into College Part 1 

Admission Directors from Harvard, Boston College and UMass talk with dan about the college admissions process.

listen

[7:03]..." He is bill Fitzsimmons he's the dean of admissions at Harvard College you've also heard from John Mahoney and -- if you wanna. John is believed there were two undergraduate admissions at Boston College alien in the the director of admissions at UMass Boston so we have. All ivy league school their large private institution Boston College which is. Growing by leaps and bounds in UMass Boston which is doing extraordinarily well. You know via the new chancellor there. Mr. Motley Keith Motley is is doing a great job "...

[0:45]..." year obviously with the economy the way it is I'm guessing. Applications UMass Boston which is a great financial deal. Probably era. "...

[6:18]..." to listen. Philly has five kids dad is still feeling to isolate Ed Harris there are almost 500 families have incomes greater than a 180000 dollars a year who still qualify for. Four gift aid as "...

timeline

37:16