GLOBAL INVESTOR

The Bogus Bank Recovery

At its core, the financial crisis is about uncertainty; who's holding what, how much it's worth, when it will blow up.

By Rana Foroohar | NEWSWEEK - From the magazine issue dated May 4, 2009

If you take the headlines at face value, it has been a good month for banks. Wells Fargo announced $3 billion in first-quarter profits, Goldman Sachs racked up $1.8 billion, JPMorgan Chase had $2.1 billion, Bank of America $4.25 billion and even beleaguered Citigroup tallied $1.6 billion in profits. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner validated the good news by declaring that the "vast majority" of the nation's banks are now well capitalized and solvent. Markets rallied. The worst of the financial crisis, it seemed, had passed. Smart investors know better. (more)