
The Federal Reserve, European Central Bank and Bank of England all offered emergency funds last week to allay concerns that credit conditions would deteriorate at the end of 2007. The likelihood of a worsening credit squeeze and deepening subprime mortgage losses sent investors into the relative safety of government debt. This report compiles comments by Don Smith, fixed-income strategist in London at ICAP Plc, Federal Reserve Board Vice Chairman Donald Kohn, Fed Chairman Ben S. Bernanke, Allan Hubbard, director of the White House's National Economic Council, Bank of England Governor Mervyn King, Ian Stannard, a currency strategist at BNP Paribas SA, Peter Hahn, specialist in corporate finance and governance at Cass Business School, John Haynes, U.S. equity strategist at Rensburg Sheppards Plc, Joseph Balestrino, a senior portfolio manager at Federated Investors Inc. and Richard Cookson, global head of asset allocation research at HSBC Holdings Plc. (Source: Bloomberg)
