Merrill Lynch has been hit with a $1.96bn net loss in Q1 this year, due to a further $4.5bn write-down in sub-prime and other bad debt.
While close to analyst expectations, the net loss is well down on the $2.1bn profit recorded in the same period last year. The latest write-down takes the Wall Street giant’s total bad debt to $24bn. "Despite this quarter's loss, Merrill Lynch's underlying businesses produced solid results in a difficult market environment," chairman and chief executive officer John Thain says. "The firm's $82bn excess liquidity pool has increased from year-end levels, and we remain well capitalised. "In addition, our global franchise is positioned strongly for the future, and we continue to invest in...
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