Banking fragility has worried
@BillAckman for decades.

A 28-year old Ackman “from New York City” once asked Buffett about Salomon Bros’ 30:1 leverage at $BRK 1994 AGM.

That risk profile catalyzed the GFC in 2007-09.

Now he’s worried about systemic risk again.

A short 🧵👇.
1. Perhaps this line of investigation contributed to Bill’s famously successful short of $MBIA and its GFC implosion…

Or his observation that CDS spreads might blow out during early days of COVID…

And who knows how he’s positioned now?

But we know he’s worried…

Read on.👇
2. Bill is on an absolute heater, tweeting every day about his worries.

At core, he seems to make 4 KEY CLAIMS:

Claim 1:

Depositors can’t be expected to analyze bank balance sheet risks more effectively than full-time banking regulators.

Deposits should be guaranteed.
3. CRE

Claim 2:

While rising rates, via declining security prices, initially smashed a MTM dent in bank balance sheets (eg $SIVB)…

…high rates ultimately cause credit performance issues (ie, loan defaults).

This will be most acute in CRE loans, like NYC office buildings.
4. Bank Costs

Claim 3:

Cash depositors, especially uninsureds, are waking up to the new rate environment - they won’t accept 0% interest checking going forward.

This is forcing banks to compete by paying rate, hurting banks’ ability to heal via profits.
🏦 💰
5. Too Big To Fail

Claim 4:

Regional Banks facilitate local business growth and our unique US economic outperformance.

The current system of a few TBTF banks creates a 2-tier system, where large depositors will naturally migrate to the TBTFs (or brokerages), hurting regionals.
6. Collectively, these risks are driving Bill’s repeated calls for regulators to:

A) Guarantee all deposits (reducing incentives to move and the risk of abrupt funding cost pressure on regionals);

B) Pause further rate increases while monitoring funding and credit performance.
I don’t always agree with Bill, but I always listen.

He’s thought deeply about these issues for 30+ yrs, with a track record of repeatedly profiting from danger.

Tease, question, challenge? Sure.

But don’t ignore.

-End

Like, RT & Follow for more knowledge bombs like this👇

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More from @compound248

Mar 19
Art anticipating life.

As it relates to the CoCo, I recommend you avoid both the financial and nostril variety.
HT: @willis_cap

I’m very disappointed in myself for not coming up with this first and promise to do better next time, fam.

Prayers up. 🙏
Read 5 tweets
Mar 19
If you’re “taking a flyer” on a wounded and wobbling US bank stock with “takeover” as your thesis, bear in mind $UBS is basically being forced to acquire $CS for $1 billion…

…and the market cap of $CS at Friday’s close was $8 billion. 😬

Not good, Bob. Not good. ImageImage
😂 …and an insanely loose MAC clause.
The element of the MAC I’m talking about - this is *begging* to get triggered.
Read 4 tweets
Mar 13
Well, we know who’s going to acquire $FRC if it ever fails…

Jamie ready to buy the Crown Jewels. $JPM Image
Some banks have better franchises than others.
Read 5 tweets
Mar 10
The problem Silicon Valley Bank faces today is VERY different than the 2007-2009 banking crisis.

$SIVB was thriving. Credit losses are fairly low. Its deposits TRIPLED from 2019 to ‘21.

How’s that a problem?

It sounds great, right?

Well, it’s a Wonderful Life…

🧵👇
1. When banks accept deposits from clients, they OWE the client that money. So deposits are liabilities to the bank.

Liabilities cost money…

…”cost” both to serve those clients (branches, tellers, apps) and any interest the bank pays you on your checking account (deposit).
2. To pay for the cost of those liabs, banks turn them into assets: lending deposits as small business loans, mortgages, C&I, etc.

If a bank can’t lend deposits responsibly, it often uses excess to BUY loans or “securities,” like US Treasuries & Mortgage Backed Securities (MBS).
Read 16 tweets
Mar 8
I literally was the Head of Strategy at Twitter.

Not even kidding.

Anyone who followed me last year knows this is true - @elonmusk can verify.
Other key Twitter Leadership:

GC: @chancery_daily
Asst GC: @LionelHutz_Esq
COO: @akramsrazor
CFO: @AndrewRangeley
Outside Counsel: @ProfEricTalley and @AnnMLipton
Independent Director: @SJOldValueGuy
Head of Risk Management: @halfkelly
Read 6 tweets
Mar 4
Twitter revenue is down -40%.

In the BeforeTimes, $TWTR exited 2021 with ~$5B of revs.

-40% puts revs closer to $3B.

Assuming 70% Gross Margins leaves:

+ $2.1B Gr Profit
- $1.2B Interest
= $0.9B to pay SG&A + CapEx

SG&A + CapEx WAS ~$4B…

…I’d guess it’s now <$1B.

Wild.
It’s fairly crazy that Twitter originally budgeted for ~$750mm in just CapEx in 2022. I bet Elon gets that to $100mm for 2023.

For context, $META is expected to spend $58 BILLION on cash SG&A + CapEx this year and $SNAP $2.7 billion.

Twitter likely <$1 billion is jaw dropping.
Here’s the @WSJ article, coauthored by three folks, including WSJ’s Twitter best reporter @AlexaCorse, who’s doing a great job.
wsj.com/articles/twitt…
Read 4 tweets

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