That's Lehman and the whole banking industry there. Say buh-bye to any all of what's left of the US as an economic power. Am afraid though, the Wicked Witch is not dead yet and that we will need to go through way more pain than mere melting away.

This from the Grey Lady :

The humbling moves, which reshape the landscape of American finance, mark the latest chapter in a tumultuous year in which once-proud financial institutions have been brought to their knees as a result of hundreds of billions of dollars in losses because of bad mortgage finance and real estate investments.

But even as the fates of Lehman and Merrill hung in the balance, another crisis loomed as the insurance giant American International Group appeared to teeter. Staggered by losses stemming from the credit crisis, A.I.G. sought a $40 billion lifeline from the Federal Reserve, without which the company may have only days to survive.

The stunning series of events culminated a weekend of frantic around-the-clock negotiations, as Wall Street bankers huddled in meetings at the behest of Bush administration officials to try to avoid a downward spiral in the markets stemming from a crisis of confidence.

“My goodness. I’ve been in the business 35 years, and these are the most extraordinary events I’ve ever seen,” said Peter G. Peterson, co-founder of the private equity firm the Blackstone Group, who was head of Lehman in the 1970s and a secretary of commerce in the Nixon administration.

It remains to be seen whether the sale of Merrill, which was worth more than $100 billion during the last year, and the controlled demise of Lehman will be enough to finally turn the tide in the yearlong financial crisis that has crippled Wall Street and threatened the broader economy.

As long as there's people like McCain who think we're doing all fine, it's obvious we've not reached our economic comeuppance.

Here's my question : With all those bonuses gone, what's going to happen to the NYC real estate market, especially in Manhattan? Or are we going to see a muscling in of foreign buyers with the liquidity to spend on "luxury apartments"?

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