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Strange things afoot with Freddie stock? :
Freddie and Fannie Bulls Are Back – By Dan Freed – … “When you have something that’s trading all of a sudden up to 34 million shares, as (Freddie Mac) did last Friday, that’s four or five times normal volume – sounds like something might be going on,” Najarian says … – TheStreet.com
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Optimistic Traders Add New In-the-Money Calls on Freddie Mac – Nick Perry – Call volume has ramped up to 16 times the norm today on Freddie Mac (FRE), after a Bloomberg report suggested that the mortgage lender’s regulator, … Roughly 5,231 call contracts have crossed the tape so far, and speculators are setting their sights on the stock’s in-the-money December 1 call. So far, a total of 2,535 contracts have traded on FRE’s December 1 call, with 99% changing hands at the ask price. With only 1,326 contracts in open interest at this strike, it seems safe to say that traders are adding new bullish bets at the December 1 call today. … Schaefer’s Investment Research
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Strange things afoot at Citi? :
CITI’s Out of TARP!! – Not…. – Submitted by Bruce Krasting – … The dollar value of the “remaining equity stake” is $25 billion. There is no certainty that this amount can be paid back in the “6-12” months indicated in the prospectus. Citi is not out of TARP. Those headlines were wrong. … – Zero Hedge
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Why? – U.S. gave up billions in tax money in deal for Citigroup’s bailout repayment – By Binyamin Appelbaum – DEAL MADE TO RECOVER BAILOUT – Firms exempted from rule when U.S. sells its stake – Citigroup says it has built up $38 billion in losses. With the tax exemption, it will be able to shelter up to $38 billion in future profits. – The federal government quietly agreed to forgo billions of dollars in potential tax payments from Citigroup as part of the deal announced this week to wean the company from the massive taxpayer bailout that helped it survive the financial crisis. – Washington Post
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U.S. forfeiting billions in future taxes to let Citi repay TARP – by Edward Harrison – good commentary – Credit Writedowns