Raising the U.S. government’s $31.4 trillion debt ceiling: Wall Street preparing for default fallout

A Wall Street sign is pictured outside the New York Stock Exchange in New York, October 28, 2013. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri/

Revelations 13:16-18 “Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666.”

Important Takeaways:

  • As talks over raising the U.S. government’s $31.4 trillion debt ceiling intensify, Wall Street banks and asset managers have begun preparing for fallout from a potential default.
  • U.S. government bonds underpin the global financial system so it is difficult to fully gauge the damage a default would create, but executives expect massive volatility across equity, debt and other markets.
  • Even a short breach of the debt limit could lead to a spike in interest rates, a plunge in equity prices, and covenant breaches in loan documentation and leverage agreements.
  • Big bond investors have cautioned that maintaining high levels of liquidity was important to withstand potential violent asset price moves, and to avoid having to sell at the worst possible time.

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