Blackstone – They’re staring into the jaws of hell

“They see the handwriting on the wall,” said Martin S. Fridson, a leading expert on junk bonds, said of buyout firms. “They’re staring into the jaws of hell.” via the New York Times.

Wow, the hyperbole.

Bx-chartBut it is true, tighter credit has made mincemeat out of the big buyout firms that are so dependent on cheap and easy credit. Adding to the pain is that Blackstone went public last year so they have to be much more transparent in their reporting.

It is one thing for a private company to take it on the chin for a quarter or even a year. Budgets get cut, bonuses disappear, and the company goes into survival mode. However, when you are a public company there is no hiding the fact that the walls are coming down.

So while last year Blackstone was the toast of the town, now it has watched their stock drop over 50 percent and their chief executive lose 3.9 billion in net worth as the stock sinks.

For us it is a downturn, but for the over leveraged, the credit crunch spells disaster. Now where have we heard that before?

Related posts:
  1. Calpers May Fire BlackRock as an Advisor After StuyTown Debacle
  2. Will Washington Extend the $8,000 Tax Credit
  3. Small Fish Buying a Whale? Morgan Lane Marin Buying Pacific Union
  4. Vornado Building $1 Billion Dollar Vulture Fund For Commercial Real Estate

« « Michigan’s Goverment Attempts To Completely Destroy Real Estate Values in State| Why Homeowner Association Exclusive Contracts Can Backfire » »

Post a Response

« Back to text comment
  • Popular

    Most Comments

    Search

    Tags

    Archives

  • Recent Comments

    • My wife has actually decided to study for and get her real eatate licence just so we dont ever have ...
      Brandon | 20Mar10 | More
    • I like your analogy in this article. The real estate economy really is like a patient who you cannot ...
      Bill Hernandez | 19Mar10 | More
    • Real Estate is hyper-local. Every market is different. Phoenix has already hit bottom and is starting to recover. We have ...
      Marc Brodeur | 19Mar10 | More
    • Great to hear that the big boys are predicting recovery sooner than most think. Thanks for the value!
      Mark Arenella | 19Mar10 | More
    • I agree--good analogy. You have to crawl before you can walk. Right now, at least in Austin, many people would ...
      Austin Mortgage | 19Mar10 | More
    • an add on to my previous comment--I suppose nationally it's hard to tell, but each city and market is in ...
      Austin Mortgage | 19Mar10 | More
    • Hmm.....interesting. Of course, I would love to see the real estate market bounce back as quickly as possible, but just ...
      Austin Mortgage | 19Mar10 | More
    • I live in the Philippines and I am glad we are not on the lists...
      homes for sale in chandler az | 19Mar10 | More
    • I have a few Litograghs of Presidents homes , made by Richard V. Sebring. yr. 1990 Do they have any ...
      Jack | 18Mar10 | More
    • I see the question I have, but no response. I do not have a for sale sign up ...
      Judi | 18Mar10 | More
  • Statistics

  • Friends

  • Subscribe





    Get Updates Delivered Daily By E-Mail:

    Delivered by FeedBurner