Death to the energy industry???
Some industry insiders believe the write-offs faced by banks and bondholders could exceed the losses caused by the collapse of WorldCom and Global Crossing. The two US telecommunications companies filed for bankruptcy with combined debts of $44bn.
"We are past the point of no return on significant levels of debt default in the energy industry, which will dwarf WorldCom and Global Crossing," said Mr Miller. "There is no doubt we will see multiple bankruptcies shortly."
US energy companies borrowed heavily in the late 1990s to take advantage of deregulation, investing in infrastructure and building up trading operations.
The debt of the top eight energy traders soared by 200 per cent to $115bn in the three years to May 2002, according to SNL Financial. Lenders were attracted by the strong earnings growth shown by the companies based on optimistic forecasts of future US power prices.
Some industry insiders believe the write-offs faced by banks and bondholders could exceed the losses caused by the collapse of WorldCom and Global Crossing. The two US telecommunications companies filed for bankruptcy with combined debts of $44bn.
"We are past the point of no return on significant levels of debt default in the energy industry, which will dwarf WorldCom and Global Crossing," said Mr Miller. "There is no doubt we will see multiple bankruptcies shortly."
US energy companies borrowed heavily in the late 1990s to take advantage of deregulation, investing in infrastructure and building up trading operations.
The debt of the top eight energy traders soared by 200 per cent to $115bn in the three years to May 2002, according to SNL Financial. Lenders were attracted by the strong earnings growth shown by the companies based on optimistic forecasts of future US power prices.
posted by Champion at 11:05 PM
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