Wall Street Spoils the Party

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State Street Corp., the largest money manager for institutions, tumbled 59 percent after unrealized bond losses almost doubled. Wells Fargo & Co. and Bank of America Corp. slumped more than 23 percent on an analyst’s prediction that they’ll need to take steps to shore up their balance sheets. The Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 4 percent, the most on an Inauguration Day in the measure’s 112-year history.

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U.S. financial losses from the credit crisis may reach $3.6 trillion, according to New York University Professor Nouriel Roubini, who predicted last year’s economic and stock-market meltdowns. “If that’s true, it means the U.S. banking system is effectively insolvent because it starts with a capital of $1.4 trillion,” Roubini said at a conference in Dubai today. “This is a systemic banking crisis.”

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From an economic perspective, Mr. Obama’s first few weeks in office will be critical as his administration finalizes the stimulus package and addresses the ongoing crisis in the banking system. Best wishes to Mr. Obama. You are now on the clock.