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Uncle Sam Books 50% Loss As Government Motors Buys Back 200MM Shares From Tim Geithner
A few days after divesting its stake in the firm that started it all, AIG, and at a profit at that (ignoring that the risk has merely been onboarded by the Fed whose DV01 is now $2+ billion as a result), the US Treasury continues to divest of all its bailout stake, this time proceeding to GM, where the channel stuffing firm just announced it would buyback 200MM shares from the US government at a price of $27.50. More importantly, the "Treasury said it intends to sell its other remaining 300.1 million shares through various means in an orderly fashion within the next 12-15 months, subject to market conditions. Treasury intends to begin its disposition of those 300.1 million common shares as soon as January 2013 pursuant to a pre-arranged written trading plan. The manner, amount, and timing of the sales under the plan are dependent upon a number of factors." Assuming a price in the $27.50 range, this implies a nearly 50% loss on the government's breakeven price of $54. So much for the "profit" spin. One hopes all those Union votes were well worth the now booked $40+ billion cost to all taxpayers.
One wonders why the US government did not open up this particular buyback to a public tender: after all some taxpayers may still care about the financial mismanagement of Uncle Sam. Then again, perhaps not.
General Motors today said it will purchase 200 million shares of GM common stock held by the U.S. Department of the Treasury for $5.5 billion, or $27.50 per share. The share buyback is part of the Treasury’s plan, also announced today, to fully exit its entire holdings of GM stock within 12 to 15 months, subject to market conditions.
Treasury has announced its intention to sell its remaining shares of common stock into the market through various means and in an orderly fashion. Treasury intends to begin its disposition of its remaining shares as soon as January 2013, consistent with a pre-arranged written trading plan. In addition, Treasury has agreed to relinquish certain governance rights that were included in the U.S. Treasury Secured Credit Agreement with GM.
“This announcement is an important step in bringing closure to the successful auto industry rescue, it further removes the perception of government ownership of GM among customers, and it demonstrates confidence in GM’s progress and our future,” said Dan Akerson, chairman and CEO of GM.
Dan Ammann, senior vice president and CFO added, “A fortress balance sheet has been a pillar of GM’s financial strategy and has enabled us to undertake today’s actions. GM’s balance sheet will remain very strong, with estimated liquidity of approximately $38 billion at the end of 2012, following the closing of the share buyback.”
The repurchase price of $27.50 per share represents a 7.9 percent premium over the closing price on December 18, 2012. The share buyback is expected to close by the end of the year. This transaction will be accretive to earnings per share, as GM’s total shares outstanding on a fully diluted basis will be reduced by approximately 11 percent. In association with this share buyback, GM expects to take a charge of approximately $400 million in the fourth quarter, which will be treated as a special item.
After the repurchase, Treasury will continue to own approximately 300 million shares of GM common stock, or approximately 19 percent of the outstanding shares on a fully diluted basis. Government ownership of GM stock was the result of the auto industry rescue that began under President George W. Bush in 2008 and which was expanded by President Barack Obama in 2009.
The industry in general, and GM in particular, have rebounded sharply since the rescue. Since the rescue, GM has announced investments of more than $7.3 billion in the U.S. and created or retained more than 20,000 jobs.
“We come to work every day grateful that taxpayers from the US and Canada stepped forward to rescue our industry, and determined to show this extraordinary help was worth it,” Akerson said.
* * *
And just because you asked for it again, here is GM's channel stuffing in its full glory:
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Barry named Time Person of the Year. Perfect.
The Media congratulating itself for "A Job Well Done".
the GM bailout was necessary to save jobs...like Obama's
Dat's racist.
Reverse!
half listening to BBG this AM and not sure I heard anything about the loss part just the buy back and how GM is up a few % this AM
so with that, this video clip of Tom Keene clutching a Barbi Doll yesterday that he named Sara Eisen
http://www.bloomberg.com/video/mattel-s-kilpin-on-product-line-strategy-...
over $500k per "job saved". Typical Uncle Sam efficiency
Anyone remember when $40B seemed like a lot of money? Think about TARP, what was that, like $700B? The public and congress were having fits about it. These days, Bernanke is printing $85B a month, and no one says a word. Not to mention all those secret going ons of which the public is completely unaware.
Nationalize the FED, recall the reserve notes and replace with US notes of legal tender. Bolster confidence by forgiving 3rd world debt. Lead by example and become the America they tell us we are.
“Lead by example and become the America they tell us we are.”
They don’t want us to be the America they tell us we are because that America would not tolerate their fraud and deceit.
The America they tell us we are can only be reborn after the collective “we” loses everything and “we” have to fight to get back what was stolen from us both financially and culturally.
exactly...40 billion all while the bankers swim in an ocean of 23 trillion created since the collapse!!!!! yes nationalize the fed...good start
At least the losses on GM will stop, even if only temporarily. No way we were EVER going to get that money back...
Fuck me...I need a bailout and so do lots of my friends! If I vote for Barry do I qualify? Will I only be required to pay back half of my loan and will the tax payers eat the rest? Sign me up for that program and give as much as I can borrow!
This story has been linked by Drudge (a/o 12:50PM)
What will they call that one, 'microphone' Dildo Barbie?
http://www.celebritystir.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/bloomberg-report...
btw I still can't get past this whopper:
“A fortress balance sheet has been a pillar of GM’s financial strategy and has enabled us to undertake today’s actions. GM’s balance sheet will remain very strong, with estimated liquidity of approximately $38 billion at the end of 2012, following the closing of the share buyback.”
So, what happens if/when liquidity goes poof again?
"One hopes all those Union votes were well worth the now booked $40+ billion cost to all taxpayers."
It won Obama Ohio and the presidency, so as Madeline All-bright (sic) might say, "it was worth it."
Are you still happy with "Free Trade"?
What is the pay back on the $16 trillion given the the banks?.....More manipulation
What is the payback? Everyone can ride around in convertibles safely.
Yep and eventually.
It's like the guy next door that comes over and rigs the water meter or the cable so he can feed off mine for free. Yea, he is getting it free for a while. But when the SHTF, my neighbor will be paying a lot more then he got in short term benefits. That is also free trade because it is market forces that eventually take effect. Yes, in the current and short term, somebody hurts while this free loader gets away with it. But it evens out in the end.
Wow no surprise here, Uncle sam has been on a losing streak since we went off the gold standard.
http://schiffblog.blogspot.ca/
This article has the facts completely wrong! The Government has made trillions on all of the bailouts and even more money in green energy grants. Government good, private equity bad. </sarc>
That wasn't the point of the take over. It was to see if the government could get into the business of selling cars. Which it failed. Maybe they didn't have enough meetings or something, you know, instead of selling cars, doing cart wheels and sucking dick in a car lot to flog one.
And AIG...lol it was a shithole stock five years ago it's still a shithole stock. At least the government is getting a taste of what it's like for the retail investor. Couple billion up on one pile of equities, down tens of billions on another.
CPL "That wasn't the point of the take over. It was to see if the government could get into the business of selling cars. Which it failed."
If you seriously believe that, then you have some serious issues. And quite frankly, those issues are so deep, I will not bore other ZH on those issues. I can only hope you forgot your sarcasm tag, in which then I whole heartedly agree and laugh with you. Otherwise, I hope you don't have an AR and aren't near a school.
Anyway, up arrow for you because after reading most of your posts including the crass (amusing) parts of your last post, I think you have your head on straight. Carry on freedom fighter.
The entire mess is so amazingly retarded and crooked it doesn't matter anymore if the government owned GM or a lawn tractor factory. It wasn't any of their business to get into anyways.
Two places you never want to be with your wallet right now transportation and banking sector. Those two are nails in a coffin built on high energy prices and poor technology intergration and adoption. The two things both industries that need the technology processes to happen and they don't let it happen in lieu of giant bonuses to the pit bosses running the show.
Can only shake one's head at the lunacy of these people. And of course laugh at it now, it is well and beyond silly. Five years ago pulling out my hair. Now, the deep understanding how little people understand it. It's like explaining nuclear physics to a herd of goats. It's just a waste of time, and people assume you are nuts for talking to livestock.
Is this the same private equity on the recieving end of all those taxpayer bailouts. The same private entities that take their pound of flesh for "saving america". Go fuck yourself along with all the other paper-pushers who seem to still think that their labor is of any real value. Roll the guillotines motherfuckers.
Rapists do tend to be on the bottom of the totem pole in a prison environment, which I imagine will be approximately how a tribal pecking order would play out in a SHTF scenario.
Uncle Sam Books 50% LossThat's almost good news.....almost. Is the glass half empty or half full?
So this is like half of a bailout? Bailout Lite?
I think it more likely that Timmy and Co. don't want the second GM bankruptcy to occur whilst they still hold shares.
The FR gangsters and their rats in congress get their shares at the self pay discount window, they still made money.
Someone has got to pay.
What glass?
One wonders why the US government did not open up this particular buyback to a public tender...
Probably concerned (and not without reason) that GM will price sub-20 and make the loss even worse - not that it matters, we sheeple will be sheared to cover the loss regardless.
One wonders why the US government did not open up this particular buyback to a public tender...
Perhaps because they know it has no buyer. GM exists as a union pension disbursment entity.
The only item "rock solid" within GM are its liabilitys
"GM exists as a union pension disbursment entity."
I wonder if that is on GM's mission statement.
Did NOT see that coming.
Dan Ammann, senior vice president and CFO added, “A fortress balance sheet has been a pillar of GM’s financial strategy and has enabled us to undertake today’s actions. GM’s balance sheet will remain very strong, with estimated liquidity of approximately $38 billion at the end of 2012, following the closing of the share buyback.”
Enron... Enron... Enron... Wasn't Enron's balance sheet considered rock solid before its epic collapse during 2000/2001? GM's balance sheet is like that of a 'fortress' until it suddenly isn't. Looks like GM is the new Enron.
Enron, Tyco, Worldcom in fact.
If the flows don't work, then no balance sheet remains rock solid forever and there is little a CFO can ultimately do about it.
"Assuming a price in the $27.50 range..."
Well, let's not get our panties in a bunch until we see what it actually sells for.
I have no delusions that will sell @ anything but a loss, but let's wait for facts first.
20,000 jobs cost $40billion to save???
Yes!
Yes, Chinese jobs
Nope. $40B to save one job - Obama's.
A million or two union votes in Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania don't come that cheaply, dont-cha-know.
They didn't need the 40 billion. Not when Diebold is on your side. Like Nation wide..
Yes, because each employee is making 2 million dollars a year in auto plants.
Damn math, always being truthy.
OT: This lady didn't lose out:
http://www.boston.com/news/education/2012/12/18/teacher-sole-heir-gold-c...
Remember the eccentric NV resident with all that gold in coinage?
Thanks! I needed that.
“We come to work every day grateful that taxpayers from the US and Canada stepped forward to rescue our industry, and determined to show this extraordinary help was worth it,” Akerson said.
fuck you akerson...i didnt step forward for you
his comments make me want to go to a GM dealership and slash some tires
i did that...here is the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enRKvjKr7l0
Sell now, before the loss is 100%
Well, they'll get the opportunity to buy it all again on the pink sheets for the low low sum of. 0.00007 cents.
Government penny millionaire!
Losses are now revenues in "mark to fantasy" accounting. No worries.
Gold low intraday:
1 666 , 65
Paper gold intraday.
Good luck prying that from someone's hands with 80% of the mining capacity offline and drastically shrinking output.
I'll sell mine for $2800 oz
Can't sell money, only exchange it for local currency if silver or gold is difficult to transact with.
So, if you keep thinking it's a buy and sell swap, you are holding it for the wrong reasons. What you are holding is the bridge facility you and I will need to move from the dying green back into the proposed Blue back offered at a table option over the past summer.
I used to be a fan of GM vehicles (had several trucks and SUVs over the years that performed well for me), but aftet this circle jerk charade bullshit I will never buy another vehicle from GM or any of its brands.
Fuck you GM!
Got to clean the books for the next round of bailouts. Expect 10x more now that the precedent has been blown wide open.
precedent and success because of course it would have been worse.
http://tnifeed.com/?p=2068
US Housing start fall 3%
geez louise. the government and GM gets decide when we take a loss? I want to average our entry price down and let this thing ride.
fuck you obama and ratner. assholes.
meredith whitney goes bullish bank of america & citi.... WTF she has to know these are zombie banks!?!
http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?play=1&video=3000136283
If she's betting on a rigged market that will prop up these banks at taxpayer's expense....then I'd think it's a good bet.
You guys do know that the Fed is buying Mortgage Backed Securities to support it's investment in....drum roll...GM???
http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/08/21/profits-in-g-m-a-c-bailout-to-ben...
they are genius building cars at todays prices and selling them at tomorrows. its like putting gold back into the ground for a later date.
So, I should stop putting my gold in the ground?
Government Accounting: We gave you $40 billion. We never expected to get any of it back. So, we get $20 Billion back. Therefore, we made a $20 billion profit because no one ever gives us back money.
There, you see....its all good.
Tylers: who CARES!!! The banking and military industries have stolen trillions, TRILLIONS (sorry for yelling) from the US government. So, what the efff is the big deal with some crappy company, that provides at least some jobs to Americans (yeah, I know very well that they do a lot of assembly and buy parts made in other countries, but there are SOME US jobs)? Better to prop up shitty companies that actually do provide some benefit to the bottom 99% of US citizens, than give it to the crooked banking system, or pump it into more drone bombing of civilians. Think, man!
"Better to prop up shitty companies that actually do provide some benefit to the bottom 99% of US citizens"
Bullshit. Shitty companies should fail. Period.
Look like an order for more Drones is in the works with this new cash
I agree that they see 2013 as very iffy with a possibility of recession....they don't want to see the share price go down under 20 again. Furthermore, how long will it take to get back to the $52 break even price? The biggest thing, however, is it's not their money....it's the taxpayers. You take a 50% loss and you can't even deduct it.
Either the US Government pumps money into an abysmally managed company, run by the very same group of idiots that ran our banking system into the ground, but a company that provides a few US based jobs. or you pay all of those workers welfare and food stamps when yet another US company ran away from its problems and ran itself out of business. What's the better choice? I vote for letting that awful company stay in business as long as it can, even if the incompetents that run it stay there too.
Did you factor in that the awful company will be back for another bail out at some point?
Have to ask yourself if you would have done that with your own investment. Oh, I forgot, it is my investment, as a Taxpayer I will take the loss.
So, the Government takes money from all Citizens and gives it to GM and their Unions. That is fair. Right.
You could hardly call that a loss. Obama would call it money well spent. It helped purchase the rust belt vote for the election. Forward!
Buying watermelons for a dollar and selling them for $.50 is gonna take a bigger GM truck to make a profit.
If I had a Harvard MBA or PhD, this would somehow make sense, I'm sure.
Probably gotta brush up on my Krugmanomics.
This was all about saving the union from the begininng.
Reclusive man dies leaving cousin with $1,200 in cash, $165,000 in mutual funds, and $7,400,000 in precious metals!
http://www.boston.com/news/education/2012/12/18/teacher-sole-heir-gold-c...
In 10 years, stories like this will be commonplace. I'm surprised the State didn't confiscate the gold coins.
There was some healthy confiscation through the estate tax. And if the heir tries to sell them, there will be more confiscation. So no worries there.
Ho Hum. Another day of corrupted info being spewed over the airwaves. If the golden one in DC spends $100B and gets back $20B, the headline will read:
"Obama saves Billions for Taxpayers"
I'm a newbie. What's "channel stuffing" mean?
When a manufacturer moves a car to dealer inventory the car is considered "sold".
As the chart amply displays, inventories are up. The distribution channel is "stuffed".
Thanks. Makes a lot of sense, the definition not the practice.
Can I claim that loss on my tax return?
Just more to be carried foward.
;)
Just think....if Romney wasn't so stupid as to open his mouth and say he would not have given GM the bailout (but apparently had no problem giving big bank buddies "loans"), he would probably be President. He had political cover. Bush started the shit.
Forget about "Break Even" or "Profit."
It took a $6+T manipulation of the economy force anything resembling a "profit" to occur. The direct cost isn't the correct measure - the entire cost of the entire stimulus & spending is the true amount.
fuck you GM
Meh. They'll make up for it in volume.
"this implies a nearly 50% loss on the government's breakeven price of $54. So much for the "profit" spin. One hopes all those Union votes were well worth the now booked $40+ billion cost to all taxpayers."
It's even worse than that. The government borrowed trillions in order to pump up the economy, so that people would go out and buy GM cars. The government bought cars, as well, at tax payer expense. So what is the true cost, when the unseen is added to the seen cost?
How many trillions did the government borrow so the banks could be seen as paying back TARP? Black is white, up is down.
This must be how Time managed to get him on the cover, Don't mention "One hopes all those Union votes were well worth the now booked $40+ billion cost to all taxpayers." It's only $40+Billion!
GM is always ten years behind the German and Japanese. Now the Koreans are starting to bury GM and the Japanese. Driving a GM rental car always feels like a cheap toy...sheet metal with a steering wheel.
Well how does this fit in with this oligarchical sleight of hand, if it is sleight of hand?
Would there be a whiff of CRONY capitalism in this, involving a scion of "creative destruction" shadow banking, the kind that ZH admires?
David Einhorn Nails It On General Motors - Business Insider
Privatised Profits and Socialised LOsses; the beat goes on.
-50% LOSS? WOW !!
odummer the SHOE SHINE BOY, sure knows how to pick em (solyndra)...LOL !!!!!
is that odummer's plan B???
i don't do any stock picking...i just bet against or for the entire casino...though i'm betting heavily against the casino..YESTERDAY i said spx TOP = 1447...
just wait for sub 1000 spx...i'm also SHORT AAPL ($700)....posted on real time here at ZH when shorting AAPL @ $700...of course it hasn't gone straight down..i said to:
sell deep in the $$$$ puts after a massive strings of sell-offs......buy back those puts after massive dead cat bounces....wash, rinse, repeat...now waiting for aapl to fall below $425 for me to repeat.....and wait for $500 pump.......repeat until aapl falls below $200....WHILE STILL KEEPING THOSE AAPL $700 shorts....= long term capital gains....
from my alloted 10 minutes
of "monioring" the casino, for the day...i see that Reid is working on bill to help Sandy (storm) victims.....$$$ that instead could be used to "save" the fat cat's (the 1%) casino!!!!
after Sandy Hook, i said on ZH that odummer was ignoring the Sandy storm victims, because he didn't want it to look like Katrina...no trailers...bc then HOW would it be "Bush's fault?".....
i wonder if the idiots (odummernomics) thought there was a "connection" between Sandy & Sandy Hook...yes and its all a ZH blogger's faullt....who lives in CA....freaking idiots....
the demon-rats mantra is IF IT DOESN'T AFFECT YOU, THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE NO INTEREST...LOOK THE OTHER WAY...freaking hypocrites....
odummer to Sandy victims: DENIED !!!!!
Obama is trying to have it both ways: Socialism AND Fascism.
Let us not forget the immense NOL that "magically" made it through the "political" bankruptcy. That's another $10-20B eaten by the taxpayers.
Seriously, where the F are they gonna pull $5.5 Billion from to buy back shares...
Oh, wait... how much blood can you squeeze out of a rock.
No it's, "Dat's Raciss!"
Don't companies usually bid their stock deep in the hole for buybacks like this?