Well, which is it?

Published on: 12/02/2008
Categories: Current Events, Economics
Comments: 1 Comment

A few weeks ago, Big Car made headlines by showing up on Capitol Hill with hat in hand, asking for billions in taxpayer-funded loans (read bailouts). While little of substance was said, it gave our Representatives a chance to grandstand. Grandstanding which was done while the conscious decision to give Citigroup a bailout well in excess of 10 times the amount requested by Big Car was being made.

Since then, Ford executives must have been doing a bit of dumpster diving and digging in the couch to find some cash. Their tune has now changed. Now only a $9 billion credit line is being requested, and Ford’s executives are assuring Congress it will in all likelihood not be needed.

This assertion came on the same day the company announced that its sales for November had decreased a whopping 30 percent from the same month last year. Ironically, this might actually help to save the company. As of the 3rd quarter, Ford was losing about $1400 for each car made. In this completely counterintuitive reality, lower sales will actually HELP the firm survive. However, in the absence of any positive cash flows, the matter of bankruptcy filing becomes ‘when’, not ‘if’.

Unless the firm is either able to organize some type of buyout or merger, it would appear that not only will Ford need the entire $9 billion in credit they’re requesting, but a whole lot more on top of it.

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