Danielle Fugazy

Mrs. Fugazy is a contributing editor at Mergers & Acquisitions Journal. Prior to joining the publication, she served as the editor of Buyouts Magazine.

What Stimulus?

Everyone wants to get back to business as usual, but with each passing day it becomes clearer that business as we once knew it not coming back for a long, long time. Lately, I started to think that we were getting close to bottom—I heard of some hirings, I heard about some deals that seemed positive, etc., but recently I've seen more news that would seem to indicate I was mistaken.

According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, the credit markets are expected to freeze up even more in coming months. Analysts say part of the problem is the government bailout. This huge program to unfreeze the credit markets and stabilize the U.S. banks has yet to take any real form, which is making investors even more uneasy. Additionally, debt holders worry that the money the government gives out could put the Fed's interests ahead of creditors. In a lot of cases, it just increases the uncertainty, and investors are rarely comforted when they have to look to Washington to get their financial picks.

I am not against the government trying to help bring our markets back, but it seems their efforts thus far has yet to be really helpful. There’s $1 trillion available to “rescue” us, yet nothing is getting better. I also suspect it’s going to take years before the stimulus package will make a difference.

Middle-market companies, based on a recent poll, would seem to agree. According to a survey by Forbes Insight and CIT Group, about 75% of middle-market companies said they expect their ability to secure financing to remain the same as it is now or worsen over the next year. Additionally, most middle-market companies expect it’s going to be more than two years before our economy returns to growth and at least one to two years before the financial markets turn around.

So not only is the government’s bailout plan costing future generations plenty, it is now having the opposite effect of what was intended. That being said, what was the alternative?

Danielle Fugazy
danielle.fugazy@sourcemedia.com

Recent Posts

DEAL DISCOURSE

Links from the week.

MidMarketREWIND

M&A highlights from the past seven days.

DEAL DISCOURSE

Links from the week.

MidMarketREWIND

M&A highlights from the past seven days.

Index of Posts

1 Comments

coach outlet online coach outlet louis vuitton uk louis vuitton coach outlet online coach factory outlet coach outlet coach outlet store online louis vuitton sale louis vuitton outlet coach factory outlet coach factory online coach factory outlet coach factory outlet online louis vuitton uk louis vuitton coach outlet online coach outlet coach outlet store coach outlet store online coach bags coach outlet store coach outlet coach outlet store online hermes birkin hermes bags gucci uk gucci uk sale louis vuitton outlet louis vuitton bags

Posted by: CHEN M | January 14, 2012 2:25 AM

Add Your Comments...

Already Registered?

If you have already registered to Money Management Executive, please use the form below to login. When completed you will immeditely be directed to post a comment.

Forgot your password?

Not Registered?

You must be registered to post a comment. Click here to register.