– GE CEO Says Now is a “Perfect Time To Be a Seller” (Dark Bid, April 10, 2015):
If you thought you had market impact problems, then you have never tried to sell $273 billion of loans.
GE Capital’s 2014 loan portfolio was marked at $363 billion. It will take a lot of maneuvering to bring it down to the $90 billion target. With the market at all-time highs and with valuations stretched beyond all conceivable rationality, GE CEO Jeff Immelt said now is a “perfect time to be a seller. People are lining up at the starting line.”
The last time GE Capital was fully loaded was in 2008, when it was at $30 per share. With a bunch of junk loans on the books, the stock was cut down to $5 at the 2009 lows. Now, it’s back to $28.50. When the Federal Reserve gravy train reaches the cliff, Immelt doesn’t want to watch his stock options pull another Thelma & Louise as the defaults come raining down.
Based on today’s options trading activity, it looks like someone was well aware of Immelt’s plans. When you’re up 6,150% in one day, it’s always a “perfect time to be a seller.”
Scary.
This ought to scare anyone……….I didn’t realize GE was in so weak a position.