enron mentions the rise and fall of enron
the new york times - 11 / 02 / 01
the enron debacle
business week - 11 / 02 / 01
derivatives danger ?
business week - 11 / 02 / 01
commentary : enron ' s clout won ' t sway the sec
business week - 11 / 02 / 01
afl - cio , amalgamated bank call on enron to redirect the mission of newly created special committee : outside directors must adopt independent role
pr newswire - 11 / 02 / 01
williams ceo sees validation of co ' s bandwidth model
dow jones energy service - 11 / 02 / 01
usa : enron shares plunge after s section a
the rise and fall of enron
11 / 02 / 2001
the new york times
page 24 , column 1
c . 2001 new york times company
earlier this year , most companies would have loved to have enron ' s problems . californians resented the energy trading company ' s huge profits during their energy crisis , and democrats in washington raised questions about enron ' s influence within the white house and about the cozy relationship between enron ' s chairman , kenneth lay , and vice president dick cheney . nobody seemed better positioned to thrive during the bush presidency than this houston - based apostle of deregulation .
wall street was impressed with enron ' s strategy of swooping into formerly regulated markets to broker contracts for natural gas , electricity or unused telecom bandwidth . the company was celebrated as a paragon of american ingenuity , a stodgy gas pipeline company that had reinvented itself as a high - tech clearinghouse in an ever - expanding roster of markets . enron ' s push to force utilities into the internet age with its online trading systems , at a seemingly handsome profit , became an epic tale of the dot - com revolution .
it now appears that enron ' s tale may be more cautionary than epic . enron envy has crashed , along with the company ' s stock price , as serious questions emerge about its bookkeeping . enron disclosed earlier this month that $ 1 . 2 billion in market value had vanished as a result of a controversial deal it entered into with private partnerships run by its chief financial officer , andrew fastow .
most alarming was enron ' s reluctance to shed light on management ' s wheeling and dealing . ' ' related - party transactions , ' ' as the accountants call them , are fraught with conflicts of interest . though much remains to be learned about these transactions , their scope and lack of transparency suggest that enron may have in effect created its own private hedge fund to assume some of the risk and mask the losses of its complex trading . the extent to which company insiders profited from the partnerships is not yet clear .
enron has scrambled to dampen wall street ' s concerns , acknowledging its credibility problem while insisting on the health of its core businesses . on wednesday it brought in william powers , the dean of the university of texas school of law , to review the transactions . the securities and exchange commission has launched its own formal investigation . mr . fastow was forced to resign , following jeffrey skilling , the man credited with driving enron into new cutting - edge businesses , out the door .
enron ' s former admirers on wall street , mindful of recent scandals involving high - profile companies doctoring their earnings , and of the spectacular collapse of the long - term capital management hedge fund in 1998 , are alarmed . carole coale of prudential securities summed up the prevailing sentiment when she told the times : ' ' the bottom line is , it ' s really difficult to recommend an investment when management does not disclose facts . ' ' analysts , as well as the media , are not entirely blameless . enron did mention , albeit in passing , the troubling related - party deals as early as march 2000 . but few analysts bothered to raise questions at a time when the company ' s revenues , profits and stock price were soaring .
harvey pitt , the new securities and exchange commissioner , must pursue the enron inquiry aggressively in order to assure investors that he will be as vigilant as his predecessor , arthur levitt , when it comes to protecting the integrity of financial markets . indeed , even if enron is cleared of any wrongdoing and regains some of its past luster , as it well might , the company that preaches the merits of self - regulating marketplaces has reminded us all of the need for a strong regulator on wall street .
copyright ? 2000 dow jones & company , inc . all rights reserved .
november 12 , 2001
finance
business week
the enron debacle
byzantine deals have shattered the energy outfit ' s credibility
executives at high - flying enron corp . ( ene ) never seemed overly concerned with how the rest of the world viewed their business practices . earlier this year , the california attorney general had to get a court order to collect documents in an industrywide investigation into energy price fixing . and when an analyst challenged former ceo jeffrey k . skilling in a conference call to produce enron ' s balance sheet , skilling called him an " ass - - - - . " still , even some enron executives worried that the company had gone too far with two complex partnerships set up in 1999 to buy company assets and hedge investments . with enron ' s then - chief financial officer acting as general manager of the partnerships and in a position to personally benefit from their investments , the potential for a conflict of interest and backlash from investors seemed overwhelming . " internally , everybody said this is not a good idea , " says a source close to the company .
but no one could have predicted such a jaw - dropping outcome for the nation ' s largest and most innovative energy trader . since oct . 16 , when enron revealed a $ 35 million charge to earnings to reflect losses on those partnerships and was forced to knock $ 1 . 2 billion off its shareholders ' equity , the company ' s stock has plunged 60 % . the securities its highly ballyhooed business for trading high - speed communications capacity was crippled by the telecom industry meltdown ; and its calamitous foray into the water business with azurix corp . has already cost enron at least $ 574 million in write - offs .
these bad bets and the expensive ljm shock have investors worried about what else might be lurking at enron . many aren ' t sticking around to find out . " i think the lack of disclosure on their financial engineering killed the credibility of the management team , " says richard a . giesen , who manages the munder power plus fund , which dumped its enron shares about a month ago .
it ' s not clear just how many off - balance - sheet financing vehicles enron has used over time . some were created years ago to finance oil and gas producers . analysts and sources close to the deals say there ' s no particular risk in these to enron shareholders . other interconnected entities , such as whitewing , osprey , atlantic water trust , and marlin water trust , were a way to get assets no longer central to enron ' s strategy off its balance sheet , freeing capital and credit for the core energy business and ventures like broadband ( table ) .
to entice institutional investors such as pension funds and insurers into these deals , enron promised to kick in equity if asset sales weren ' t enough to cover debt . such " mandatory equity " deals have been used by at least a half - dozen others in the energy and telecom industries , including el paso ( epg ) , williams , and dominion , says standard & poor ' s director todd a . shipman . " nobody ' s going to find anything that ' s particularly unique or below board " in such deals , says one investment banker specializing in the energy business .
worst case , which shipman considers unlikely , enron could be on the hook for about $ 3 billion in its mandatory - equity deals . that could mean diluting its shares by more than 25 % at today ' s prices . analyst john e . olson at sanders morris harris inc . ( smhg ) figures a 9 % dilution is more likely . even if this $ 3 billion in debt were included on enron ' s balance sheet now , the debt - to - capital ratio would climb to 54 % from about 49 % at the end of june . such a change would pressure enron ' s credit rating but not push it below investment grade , says shipman .
huge hit . fastow ' s ljm , a private equity fund , was a different kind of animal , according to sources familiar with the arrangements . it bought energy and other assets from enron , which booked gains and losses on those deals . ljm was also involved in complex hedging that was supposed to reduce the volatility of some of enron ' s investments , including stakes in high - tech and telecom businesses and an interest in new power co . , which markets power to consumers . when enron terminated these deals in september , it took the $ 1 . 2 billion hit to equity .
but the more immediate question is whether trading partners will stick with the company . the first place that might show up is in enron ' s highly successful online platform , which trades everything from gas and electricity to weather derivatives . to reassure its partners , enron is scrambling to shore up its liquidity . it has already tapped $ 3 billion in credit lines and is trying to arrange another $ 1 billion . shipman says he has seen no signs of massive customer defections or drastically worsened credit terms . still , rival traders are wary . " we certainly have taken a closer look at enron in the last week to 10 days and will continue to manage the credit risk , but we ' re still doing business with the company as usual , " says keith g . stamm , ceo of power and gas trader aquila inc . ( ila )
" speeding train . " still , with the stock battered and rating agencies considering further downgrades , that could rapidly change . in recent days , the uncertainty about enron ' s future has reduced investors ' appetite for enron debt . " no one wants to speculate on the direction or their likelihood of survival , " says a credit - derivatives salesperson . " it ' s really difficult to get in front of a speeding train . "
even if lay can calm his trading partners , he and his management team face a much tougher task of restoring their credibility on wall street . with the stock now hovering around $ 14 - - down from a high of $ 90 in august , 2000 - - some even believe that enron could be a takeover target for the likes of ge capital or royal dutch / shell group . ( rd ) both declined to comment . would enron sell ? one source close to the company says enron has talked about possible mergers and strategic alliances in the past with royal dutch / shell , among others . " if they ' re really worried about liquidity , they might take the easy way out , " he says .
if enron does pull through this crisis , some suspect it will be a humbler , more risk - averse place . the company that once believed it could expand its trading and logistics empire to all manner of commodities - - from advertising space to steel - - will be forced to scale back its grandiose visions . that ' s something some investors applaud . " the company should focus on its strengths , " says william n . adams , senior energy analyst at banc of america capital management , a major shareholder . but that ' s a far less exciting place than enron ' s energy cowboys ever hoped to roam .
by stephanie anderson forest and wendy zellner in dallas , with heather timmons in new york
november 12 , 2001
finance
business week
derivatives danger ?
lately , owners of enron ' s ( ene ) equity , bonds , and loans have been struggling to understand how exposed the company is to risks of losses that they didn ' t know about before . now , as a fuller picture of enron ' s entanglements with partnerships begins to emerge , investors have something else to worry about : credit default swaps , known as cdss for short .
that ' s financial marketspeak for insurance on bonds and bank loans . their owners pay a premium for coverage that reimburses them for any losses they have if their investments go bad . the cds market has existed only for about two years , but it ' s growing fast . goldman , sachs & co . ( gs ) and others estimate that bonds and loans with a face value of between $ 1 trillion and $ 1 . 5 trillion are covered . not surprisingly , big banks with hefty balance sheets such as j . p . morgan chase ( jpm ) , merrill lynch ( mer ) , and deutsche bank ( db ) dominate the market .
enron , however , is a player - - and the only significant one that isn ' t also a bank . competitors say that although enron has issued only between $ 500 million and $ 700 million worth of cdss so far this year , it had ambitious plans to offer them online . " they don ' t belong in this market , " says one trader . " they don ' t understand the implications . " enron did not return calls seeking comment .
of course , neither enron nor others will have to pay out unless the loans and bonds they ' re insuring turn bad . trouble is , this year is potentially a doozie for losses on corporate debt . corporate defaults could reach a record of $ 100 billion , says standard & poor ' s , like businessweek a unit of the mcgraw - hill companies . regulators say shaky bank loans hit a record $ 193 billion by early october .
if enron has insured any of the bad debt , it might have to take charges for losses if they exceed the premiums it has been getting . with all that has been happening in recent weeks , that ' s the last thing it needs .
by heather timmons in new york
november 12 , 2001
finance
by mike mcnamee
commentary : enron ' s clout won ' t sway the sec
for securities & exchange commission chairman harvey l . pitt , the sec ' s investigation into enron corp . ( ene ) could hardly have come at a worse time . the future of pitt ' s ambitious agenda of reforms in securities regulation could depend on how well he handles this case .
enron ' s political clout and close ties to president george w . bush create real risks for the sec . enron ceo kenneth l . lay is a longtime bush backer , and the company was the biggest corporate contributor to the president ' s campaign . a bush appointee , pitt is attempting a delicate balancing act . he has made it clear he wants to speed up the sec ' s enforcement , in part by rewarding companies that cooperate with probes . but he insists the sec will still come down hard on true corporate miscreants - - and knows that any signs of let - up could jeopardize the rest of his reform agenda .
enter the enron probe . the fine shadings of securities enforcement - - where most cases are settled by negotiated penalties , not court - imposed fines - - often make it hard for outsiders to tell whether the sec is being tough or lenient . but pitt must go out of his way to make it clear that the enron case is handled by the book - - getting the same strict scrutiny from the sec as any other , less connected company .
for now , top sec aides say that ' s happening . the sec enforcement div . in washington is looking into whether enron adequately disclosed to shareholders the risks of its complex deals with andrew s . fastow , the company ' s former chief financial officer . agency insiders say pitt and his fellow commissioners will be briefed on the case as it proceeds . but they insist pitt hasn ' t heard from the white house or enron ' s other political allies .
top lobbyist . enron ' s connections are numerous . besides lay ' s links to bush , an enron director , wendy lee gramm , is the wife of texas senator phil gramm , top republican on the senate banking committee . and enron spreads its lobbying budget - - $ 2 . 13 million in 2000 - - across both parties . just this year it hired four lobbying firms with democratic roots . enron says it lobbies heavily because it operates in regulated industries . it notes that electric utilities outspend it 35 to 1 .
on oct . 31 , a special committee of enron ' s board hired william r . mclucas , former sec enforcement director , to represent it . mclucas should know that any attempt to muscle the stock cops is likely to backfire . pitt , who joined the sec out of law school in 1968 , " remembers how the [ nixon - era ] sec tainted itself by turning a blind eye to [ fugitive financier ] robert vesco , " says an agency veteran . pitt has too much riding on the enron probe to let its connections sway his judgment .
mcnamee covers finance in washington .
afl - cio , amalgamated bank call on enron to redirect the mission of newly created special committee : outside directors must adopt independent role
11 / 02 / 2001
pr newswire
( copyright ( c ) 2001 , pr newswire )
washington , nov . 2 / prnewswire / - - in a shareholder letter sent today to the board of directors of the enron corporation ( nyse : ene ) , the afl - cio and the amalgamated bank called on enron to expand the mission of its newly created special committee and for enron ' s board to adopt a package of reforms designed to restore investor confidence in the battered energy firm . america ' s working families are significant shareholders of enron stock through their pension , health and welfare benefit funds .
among other suggestions , the letter urges the board to expand the special committee ' s mandate to : * examine all transactions with entities in which enron employees
or directors have an interest
* adopt procedures for reviewing insider participation in investments
* commence an extraordinary review of executive compensation
* adopt a stricter definition of director independence and disclose
director conflicts of interest
" the special committee ' s mandate is far too narrow to address the current crisis , " said richard trumka , secretary - treasurer of the afl - cio . " in light of enron ' s recent balance sheet write - downs , share price decline , and credit rating deterioration , the special committee must be forward looking and consider sweeping governance reform measures , " he explained .
" in this time of crisis , outside directors must reform enron ' s traditional lack of transparency and communicate directly with shareholders , " said gabriel caprio , president and ceo of the amalgamated bank . " this is particularly important since several outside directors have apparent conflicts of interest that compromise their objectivity , " he added .
afl - cio affiliate unions sponsor benefit funds with over $ 400 billion in assets and hold an estimated 3 . 1 million enron shares . the afl - cio is joined in its call for reform by the amalgamated bank , the trustee of the longview funds which hold 251 , 304 shares of enron . the amalgamated bank ' s longview funds are collective investment trusts that manage equity assets on behalf of workers ' benefit funds .
a copy of the letter sent to enron ' s board of directors is available by contacting the afl - cio office of investment at 202 - 637 - 3900 or online at http : / / www . shareholdervalue . org .
make your opinion count - click here
/ contact : lane windham , + 1 - 202 - 637 - 5018 , or bill patterson , + 1 - 202 - 637 - 3900 , both of afl - cio / 13 : 39 est
copyright ? 2000 dow jones & company , inc . all rights reserved .
williams ceo sees validation of co ' s bandwidth model
11 / 02 / 2001
dow jones energy service
( copyright ( c ) 2001 , dow jones & company , inc . )
houston - ( dow jones ) - at the beginning of the year , two telecommunications units born of energy companies seemed to symbolize the different ways to sell bandwidth .
enron corp . ( ene ) was viewed as the hot pioneer blazing a trail for selling telecommunications network capacity as a commodity like natural gas or electricity .
on the other hand , williams communications group ( wcg ) seemed to promote the old - fashioned method that telecommunications companies have used for making long - term agreements .
on thursday , wcg reported third - quarter earnings of $ 22 . 6 million before taxes and interest . wcg chairman and chief executive howard janzen told dow jones newswires that the earnings validated williams ' model of a bandwidth company being a provider of services , not a trader of commodities .
" i think bandwidth trading has its place , " janzen said . " it ' s developing relatively slowly . the reality is ( that ) bandwidth is not a commodity except for lower - capacity services and on certain routes with large amounts of capacity . "
enron reported an $ 80 million third - quarter loss for its broadband services unit .
as janzen views it , bandwidth is defined by the technology used to provide it .
" the bandwidth we ' ll sell five years from now will be different from what we ' re selling today because of changes in technology , " he said .
after taxes and interest , williams reported a loss of $ 272 . 7 million on revenue of $ 297 . 8 million in the third quarter . an extraordinary gain of $ 223 . 7 million from the repurchase of senior redeemable notes in the open market enabled williams to post the positive result before taxes and interest .
in the same period a year ago , williams reported a net loss of $ 150 . 5 million on revenue of $ 209 million .
williams also announced thursday that it has agreed to buy the assets of coreexpress , a company which operated on williams ' network . coreexpress guarantees data delivery over multiple networks and developed software to monitor quality of service over multiple networks .
terms of the agreement weren ' t disclosed . the deal won ' t close until undisclosed conditions are met .
williams also announced a 20 - year agreement valued at $ 267 million to provide bandwidth to boeing co .
- by erwin seba , dow jones newswires , 713 - 547 - 9214 erwin . seba @ dowjones . com
copyright ? 2000 dow jones & company , inc . all rights reserved .
usa : enron shares plunge after s & p credit rating cut .
11 / 02 / 2001
reuters english news service
( c ) reuters limited 2001 .
new york , nov 2 ( reuters ) - shares of enron corp . dropped more than 8 percent in early trade on friday , as the stock took a new plunge in a two - week free - fall , a day after its credit rating was cut for the second time this week .
enron was down 89 cents , or 7 . 4 percent , to $ 11 . 10 on the new york stock exchange , after briefly slipping to $ 10 . 95 , a price it also touched briefly on tuesday and last closed at in july 1992 .
enron , the nation ' s largest energy trader , lined up $ 1 billion of new credit on thursday in a bid to restore investor confidence . even so , standard & poor ' s cut enron ' s credit rating after stock markets closed on thursday , saying it could do so again if the situation worsens .
enron has been rocked by a stock slide that has slashed two - thirds of its share price since oct . 16 , when the company reported a $ 1 billion charge that was caused , in part , by dealings linked to a chief financial officer who was subsequently ousted .
houston - based enron is facing an investigation by the u . s . securities and exchange commission into those dealings . at issue are off - balance sheet deals with limited partnerships , run by then - cfo andrew fastow , which contributed to a $ 1 . 2 billion reduction in shareholder equity .
copyright ? 2000 dow jones & company , inc . all rights reserved .
goldman declines enron ' s request for loan amid credit concerns
2001 - 11 - 02 11 : 22 ( new york )
goldman declines enron ' s request for loan amid credit concerns
new york , nov . 2 ( bloomberg ) - - goldman sachs group inc .
refused to participate in a $ 1 billion loan to enron corp . because
it was unwilling to risk its capital on a client with falling
credit ratings that has been using its investment - banking services
less often , according to people familiar with matter .
enron chief executive kenneth lay asked for the line of
credit after meeting with bankers from goldman , j . p . morgan chase
& co . and citigroup inc . last month to discuss ways to alleviate a
cash crunch . j . p . morgan and citigroup agreed to lend on the
condition that the houston - based energy trader pledge two
pipelines as collateral .
goldman ' s refusal highlights its reluctance to provide credit
lines to all but its top fee - paying clients . by not lending to
enron , the firm also is able to advise companies that want to buy
enron or some of its assets , or make a bid of its own .
for enron , the decision makes it harder to resist the demands
of its existing lenders , who made the company give up collateral
and pay higher interest rates to get its new loan .
` ` people smell resistance to enron , ' ' said glenn reynolds , an
analyst with creditsights . com , an independent research firm . ` ` the
balance of power is the with the banks now . ' '
kathleen baum , a spokeswoman for goldman , said the firm had
` ` a long history of putting its capital to work for clients . ' ' she
wouldn ' t comment on the firm ' s relationship with enron . karen
denne , a spokeswoman for enron , said , ` ` i won ' t confirm who we
have had talks with . ' '
shut out
enron needed the $ 1 billion secured loan to supplement cash
reserves and help the company pay off existing debt . yesterday ,
standard & poor ' s cut enron ' s long - term credit rating to ` ` bbb , ' '
the second - lowest investment grade rating , from ` ` bbb + . ' '
the sec is investigating partnerships run by former chief
financial officer andrew fastow that bought and sold enron shares
and assets . those trades cost enron $ 35 million . the company also
lost $ 1 . 2 billion in shareholder equity .
enron ' s dealings with the partnerships have shut it out of
commercial - paper markets , where corporations borrow money for days
or weeks . lenders are concerned that the company may have further
losses from its trading business .
a week ago enron tapped $ 3 billion in credit lines , arranged
by j . p . morgan and citibank , to pay off $ 2 . 2 billion in commercial
paper it has outstanding .
already loaded down with enron debt , j . p . morgan and citibank
forced enron to pay as much as 2 . 5 percentage points more than the
london interbank offered rate , or libor , on its new loan ,
according to the people familiar with the matter . that ' s about
five times the spread enron is paying on its existing lines ,
according to bloomberg data .
the extra yield wasn ' t sufficient incentive for goldman to
lend . securities firms such as goldman are required to value
lending commitments at market prices , exposing them to potential
losses from declines in loan prices . banks such as j . p . morgan and
citibank are allowed to carry the assets at full value .
falling prices
enron ' s existing loans have already fallen to between 80 and
90 cents on the dollar since the company drew them down , according
to traders .
the company ' s 6 . 4 percent coupon notes due in 2006 fell as
much as 6 cents on the dollar today , with price indications
between 68 and 73 cents , traders said . yesterday , traders bid for
the bonds at 74 cents and offered to sell them at 77 cents
goldman has been getting less investment - banking business
from enron .
the no . 3 u . s . securities firm by capital hasn ' t arranged a
bond sale for enron since 1995 , and enron hasn ' t picked goldman to
advise on an acquisition or sale since at least 1993 , according to
bloomberg data . the firm is a dealer on enron ' s $ 3 billion
commercial paper program and has arranged six of the company ' s 15
preferred share sales .
without a steady flow of investment banking fees , goldman is
reluctant to make loans that tie up capital in a business that is
less profitable than advising on mergers or underwriting
securities .
among clients the firm has turned down : ford motor co . , the
second - largest automaker , and vodafone group plc , europe ' s largest
cellular phone company .
goldman did extend $ 2 billion in credit to at & t corp . as part
of a $ 25 billion credit facility last year . the largest u . s . long -
distance phone company is one of the firm ' s most lucrative
clients , however , paying out more than $ 100 million in investment -
banking fees during the past five years .
after refusing to lend to enron , goldman is unlikely to
advise the energy trader on any of its planned $ 2 . 1 billion in
asset sales , the people familiar said .
j . p . morgan is advising enron on the sale of its azurix north
american water business and may be retained , along with
citigroup ' s salomon smith barney unit , to look at other disposals
and a possible sale of the whole company , the people said .
goldman , which has an energy trading business of its own , may
already be advising potential buyers of enron ' s businesses , or
lining up a bid of its own , reynolds said .
` ` we may well see goldman pop up on the other side , which
would explain its reticence to lend , ' ' he said .
power points : time for a bronx miracle in houston
by mark golden
11 / 02 / 2001
dow jones energy service
( copyright ( c ) 2001 , dow jones & company , inc . )
a dow jones newswires column
new york - ( dow jones ) - with two outs in the bottom of the ninth and down by two runs with one man on , enron corp . ( ene ) needs nothing less than a home run just to stay in the game .
this is the home run enron must come up with : full disclosure of the assets and liabilities of those troubled partnerships that have been kept off their balance sheet , and proof the corporation can cover the difference . it ' s what stockholders , bondholders and trading partners have been demanding , but time is running out , and enron hasn ' t produced .
" we ' re going to get to that number soon and tell people . we have to do that , " said a source at enron , who didn ' t know how quickly the disclosure would come or whether it would be independently audited . " in this environment , we are going to be absolutely sure that it ' s accurate . "
enron has about $ 3 . 3 billion in debt on the two key partnerships payable in 2003 . the company will sell the assets in those partnerships and , in a worse case scenario , will face a $ 1 billion shortfall that could be covered by selling stock and other company assets , enron has said . the company hopes that when the time comes to issue new stock , shares will be trading closer to $ 20 than their current $ 11 .
investors , however , aren ' t acting as if they ' re reassured . part of the trouble , analysts with credit - rating firm standard & poor ' s said friday morning , is that until enron sells the assets , nobody knows for sure what they ' re worth or how deep the partnerships are in the hole .
s & p is confident that enron can raise enough capital to fill that hole , provided its trading partners in key energy markets continue to business with the company .
credit derivative fizzle
to see the pickle the world ' s premier energy franchise is in , one needs to look no further than its credit derivatives trading desk . that relatively new and innovative operation was getting off the ground nicely , but the desk hasn ' t been able to transact for three weeks , since the value of enron ' s stock and bonds began to plummet , according to another enron employee .
enron didn ' t respond to a request for comment , but the enron credit division in europe said in a release that lines are " constrained " as the market continues to evaluate the company ' s credit position .
until recently , customers would buy a credit derivative from enron to cover its exposure to bankruptcy by a third company . a big supplier to a financially troubled company like xerox corp . ( xrx ) or lucent technologies ( lu ) , for example , might pay enron $ 1 million a year for a payout of , say , $ 10 million in the event of a bankruptcy .
but you wouldn ' t pay the premium on your insurance unless you were sure that the insurance company could pay your claims . likewise , with enron ' s creditworthiness in doubt , there ' s no reason to pay a lot of money just to exchange lucent risk for enron risk .
the same holds true , though less obviously , for enron ' s core business of energy trading . some utilities , large industrial companies and other energy trading companies could see their profits ruined if natural gas prices - already on the rise at $ 3 per million british thermal units - shoot to $ 10 this winter as they did last winter .
to guard against that risk , companies buy contracts now for delivery this winter at set prices . if a company wants to lock in winter gas at $ 3 , should it turn to enron ? if gas were to rise to $ 10 in january and enron couldn ' t deliver , enron ' s counterparty paid a good price for no protection . and if enron failed in a $ 10 gas market , that would send hundreds of companies scrambling for supplies . gas could go to $ 20 in a heartbeat .
leading role an asset
enron does have a man on base . the company is so important to energy market participants that they desperately want enron to survive . and any company that moves to lock enron out of the market now could regret doing so if enron survives as the big dog .
enron ' s trading partners have a pretty consistent position at this point : they are continuing to trade with enron , but are avoiding long - term deals that increase their exposure to the company . the only acceptable long - term deals are those that offset deals done earlier . unless and until a bill goes unpaid , they ' ll keep delivering .
enron , like the rest of the u . s . energy industry , paid its bills for september gas deliveries on oct . 20 and for its september electricity deliveries on oct . 25 . its next power and gas bills come due in the third week of november .
that means trading companies generally have just seven weeks of receivables at risk before enron ' s creditworthiness faces another test . in exchange for taking on that small risk , they keep the great market maker in business .
lenders show concerns
lenders , whether through holding enron bonds or providing loans , don ' t have the same luxury as energy trading companies that are keeping deals on a short leash . lenders supply cash up front and for longer periods of time , usually years .
outside of long - term commitments , what worries the banks , which presumably got a good look at enron ' s books ? if enron is now unable to make the big bets with long - term energy deals that have kept it profitable for years , can it service all of its liabilities , known and unknown ? if it has to sell profitable assets like pipelines and power plants , or otherwise put those assets at risk , will lower earnings be enough to pay rising credit costs ? what happens if its greatest asset - its traders - leave in droves to work elsewhere ?
if enron is to have a chance , it needs energy trading profits to keep rolling in so that it can continue to service its debt . so far this year , trading and other wholesale operations have accounted for $ 2 . 2 billion out of $ 2 . 4 billion in net recurring income before interest and taxes . by comparison , enron has made $ 617 million in interest payments so far this year .
j . p . morgan chase 201 - 938 - 4604 ; mark . golden @ dowjones . com
copyright ? 2000 dow jones & company , inc . all rights reserved .
enron says it remains ' biggest ' player in eu gas , power
11 / 02 / 2001
dow jones energy service
( copyright ( c ) 2001 , dow jones & company , inc . )
london - ( dow jones ) - enron corp . ( ene ) said in a statement friday that it remains the " the biggest buyer and seller of gas and power in europe , " and that its enrononline platform " continues to be the key trading platform in europe . "
the company issued the statement in response to widespread rumors that several companies have ceased trading gas and power with enron since its share price took a nosedive last week .
in the statement , enron added that worldwide transactions in the power and gas markets were averaging $ 3 billion to $ 4 billion a day , up from a 30 - day average of $ 2 . 5 billion at close of business friday , oct . 26 .
enron has been on the defensive after announcing a third - quarter loss of $ 618 million two weeks ago , followed by news that it took a $ 1 . 2 billion equity write - down , based partly on transactions involving a handful of its own officers .
on wednesday , enron disclosed that the sec elevated its inquiry into enron ' s alleged related - party transactions to a formal probe .
enron corp . secured $ 1 billion in new credit lines this week , but the deal did not appease credit - rating agency standard + 44 - ( 0 ) 20 - 7842 - 9345 ; sarah . spikes @ dowjones . com
copyright ? 2000 dow jones & company , inc . all rights reserved .
usa : update 1 - enron shares fall as investor concerns linger .
by janet mcgurty
11 / 02 / 2001
reuters english news service
( c ) reuters limited 2001 .
new york , nov 2 ( reuters ) - shares in enron corp . , the u . s . energy trading giant facing a federal probe into its dealings , declined on friday amid lingering investor concern about management credibility and the outcome of pending lawsuits .
shares of enron were off 62 cents , or 5 . 2 percent , at $ 11 . 37 in early afternoon trade on the new york stock exchange , recouping some losses after plunging briefly to $ 10 . 95 , a closing price last seen in july 1992 and touched in intraday trade on tuesday .
enron debt due in 2006 declined about another 6 points , and was trading at about 65 cents on the dollar . the bonds were trading at about $ 1 . 01 two weeks ago , before enron announced on oct . 16 a $ 1 billion charge , caused in part by dealings linked to partnerships run until recently by a chief financial officer who was ousted last week , and that form part of the federal probe .
" there remain several fundamental issues that we believe need to be addressed before the clouds can clear above enron ' s skies , " said ronald barone of brokerage ubs warburg .
apart from the probe by the securities and exchange commission , barone said concerns include " the evolving state of the company ' s balance sheet , management credibility and ultimate outcome of shareholder lawsuits . "
a handful of law firms have sued enron , saying it overstated operating results , failed to write down assets on a timely basis and concealed investments that might require the company to issue large amounts of shares to cover loses .
enron ' s woes have put it under intense investor scrutiny , with the company losing about $ 17 billion in market capitalization in the past two weeks . the afl - cio union umbrella urged enron on friday to review executive compensation and adopt procedures for insider investments , among other recommendations .
afl - cio affiliate unions sponsor benefit funds that hold an estimated 3 . 1 million enron shares .
premium player in risk management
shares also plunged on friday - they have fallen about two - thirds in the past two weeks - after standard & poor ' s cut enron ' s credit rating late thursday , the second cut this week .
although s & p said another rate cut could ensue if enron ' s situation worsens , a team of s & p analysts told investors on a conference call on friday they were confident they were aware of all the company ' s financial obligations .
enron has been criticized for providing scant details about its dealings , leading to concerns about the riskiness of its obligations .
" enron is a premium player in the risk management area , " said ronald barone , a member of the s & p team who is not related to ubs ' s barone .
the s & p analysts said they were using about $ 1 . 5 billion as the amount of off - balance sheet items , about half the $ 3 billion calculated in past years , because of a change in reporting international energy assets , which no longer puts non - recourse debt onto the balance sheet in places like india and south america .
the s & p analysts also said they felt enron ' s move to secure a $ 1 billion line of additional credit earlier this week sent out enron ' s clear commitment to credit quality .
they also said it seemed reasonable to expect a long - term solution to fix enron ' s hard to understand balance sheet would assume an infusion of long - term equity as well as asset sales .
the s & p ratings team also said it was closely monitoring enron ' s trading partners for a change in their credit stance toward enron and , to date , have seen no significant change .
but they cautioned that could change at any time and that was the reason for putting enron on the credit watch listing .
enron chairman and chief executive officer ken lay , who has been criticized for not providing the public enough details on enron , was a no - show at a business conference in houston where he had been scheduled to speak on friday morning .
enron executive robert bradley , who declined to respond to questions from reuters after his speech , said he had been sent to replace lay because " ken is better at putting out fires at enron . "
copyright ? 2000 dow jones & company , inc . all rights reserved .
enron mentions
the rise and fall of enron
the new york times - 11 / 02 / 01
the enron debacle
business week - 11 / 02 / 01
derivatives danger ?
business week - 11 / 02 / 01
commentary : enron ' s clout won ' t sway the sec
business week - 11 / 02 / 01
afl - cio , amalgamated bank call on enron to redirect the mission of newly created special committee : outside directors must adopt independent role
pr newswire - 11 / 02 / 01
williams ceo sees validation of co ' s bandwidth model
dow jones energy service - 11 / 02 / 01
usa : enron shares plunge after s section a
the rise and fall of enron
11 / 02 / 2001
the new york times
page 24 , column 1
c . 2001 new york times company
earlier this year , most companies would have loved to have enron ' s problems . californians resented the energy trading company ' s huge profits during their energy crisis , and democrats in washington raised questions about enron ' s influence within the white house and about the cozy relationship between enron ' s chairman , kenneth lay , and vice president dick cheney . nobody seemed better positioned to thrive during the bush presidency than this houston - based apostle of deregulation .
wall street was impressed with enron ' s strategy of swooping into formerly regulated markets to broker contracts for natural gas , electricity or unused telecom bandwidth . the company was celebrated as a paragon of american ingenuity , a stodgy gas pipeline company that had reinvented itself as a high - tech clearinghouse in an ever - expanding roster of markets . enron ' s push to force utilities into the internet age with its online trading systems , at a seemingly handsome profit , became an epic tale of the dot - com revolution .
it now appears that enron ' s tale may be more cautionary than epic . enron envy has crashed , along with the company ' s stock price , as serious questions emerge about its bookkeeping . enron disclosed earlier this month that $ 1 . 2 billion in market value had vanished as a result of a controversial deal it entered into with private partnerships run by its chief financial officer , andrew fastow .
most alarming was enron ' s reluctance to shed light on management ' s wheeling and dealing . ' ' related - party transactions , ' ' as the accountants call them , are fraught with conflicts of interest . though much remains to be learned about these transactions , their scope and lack of transparency suggest that enron may have in effect created its own private hedge fund to assume some of the risk and mask the losses of its complex trading . the extent to which company insiders profited from the partnerships is not yet clear .
enron has scrambled to dampen wall street ' s concerns , acknowledging its credibility problem while insisting on the health of its core businesses . on wednesday it brought in william powers , the dean of the university of texas school of law , to review the transactions . the securities and exchange commission has launched its own formal investigation . mr . fastow was forced to resign , following jeffrey skilling , the man credited with driving enron into new cutting - edge businesses , out the door .
enron ' s former admirers on wall street , mindful of recent scandals involving high - profile companies doctoring their earnings , and of the spectacular collapse of the long - term capital management hedge fund in 1998 , are alarmed . carole coale of prudential securities summed up the prevailing sentiment when she told the times : ' ' the bottom line is , it ' s really difficult to recommend an investment when management does not disclose facts . ' ' analysts , as well as the media , are not entirely blameless . enron did mention , albeit in passing , the troubling related - party deals as early as march 2000 . but few analysts bothered to raise questions at a time when the company ' s revenues , profits and stock price were soaring .
harvey pitt , the new securities and exchange commissioner , must pursue the enron inquiry aggressively in order to assure investors that he will be as vigilant as his predecessor , arthur levitt , when it comes to protecting the integrity of financial markets . indeed , even if enron is cleared of any wrongdoing and regains some of its past luster , as it well might , the company that preaches the merits of self - regulating marketplaces has reminded us all of the need for a strong regulator on wall street .
copyright ? 2000 dow jones & company , inc . all rights reserved .
november 12 , 2001
finance
business week
the enron debacle
byzantine deals have shattered the energy outfit ' s credibility
executives at high - flying enron corp . ( ene ) never seemed overly concerned with how the rest of the world viewed their business practices . earlier this year , the california attorney general had to get a court order to collect documents in an industrywide investigation into energy price fixing . and when an analyst challenged former ceo jeffrey k . skilling in a conference call to produce enron ' s balance sheet , skilling called him an " ass - - - - . " still , even some enron executives worried that the company had gone too far with two complex partnerships set up in 1999 to buy company assets and hedge investments . with enron ' s then - chief financial officer acting as general manager of the partnerships and in a position to personally benefit from their investments , the potential for a conflict of interest and backlash from investors seemed overwhelming . " internally , everybody said this is not a good idea , " says a source close to the company .
but no one could have predicted such a jaw - dropping outcome for the nation ' s largest and most innovative energy trader . since oct . 16 , when enron revealed a $ 35 million charge to earnings to reflect losses on those partnerships and was forced to knock $ 1 . 2 billion off its shareholders ' equity , the company ' s stock has plunged 60 % . the securities its highly ballyhooed business for trading high - speed communications capacity was crippled by the telecom industry meltdown ; and its calamitous foray into the water business with azurix corp . has already cost enron at least $ 574 million in write - offs .
these bad bets and the expensive ljm shock have investors worried about what else might be lurking at enron . many aren ' t sticking around to find out . " i think the lack of disclosure on their financial engineering killed the credibility of the management team , " says richard a . giesen , who manages the munder power plus fund , which dumped its enron shares about a month ago .
it ' s not clear just how many off - balance - sheet financing vehicles enron has used over time . some were created years ago to finance oil and gas producers . analysts and sources close to the deals say there ' s no particular risk in these to enron shareholders . other interconnected entities , such as whitewing , osprey , atlantic water trust , and marlin water trust , were a way to get assets no longer central to enron ' s strategy off its balance sheet , freeing capital and credit for the core energy business and ventures like broadband ( table ) .
to entice institutional investors such as pension funds and insurers into these deals , enron promised to kick in equity if asset sales weren ' t enough to cover debt . such " mandatory equity " deals have been used by at least a half - dozen others in the energy and telecom industries , including el paso ( epg ) , williams , and dominion , says standard & poor ' s director todd a . shipman . " nobody ' s going to find anything that ' s particularly unique or below board " in such deals , says one investment banker specializing in the energy business .
worst case , which shipman considers unlikely , enron could be on the hook for about $ 3 billion in its mandatory - equity deals . that could mean diluting its shares by more than 25 % at today ' s prices . analyst john e . olson at sanders morris harris inc . ( smhg ) figures a 9 % dilution is more likely . even if this $ 3 billion in debt were included on enron ' s balance sheet now , the debt - to - capital ratio would climb to 54 % from about 49 % at the end of june . such a change would pressure enron ' s credit rating but not push it below investment grade , says shipman .
huge hit . fastow ' s ljm , a private equity fund , was a different kind of animal , according to sources familiar with the arrangements . it bought energy and other assets from enron , which booked gains and losses on those deals . ljm was also involved in complex hedging that was supposed to reduce the volatility of some of enron ' s investments , including stakes in high - tech and telecom businesses and an interest in new power co . , which markets power to consumers . when enron terminated these deals in september , it took the $ 1 . 2 billion hit to equity .
but the more immediate question is whether trading partners will stick with the company . the first place that might show up is in enron ' s highly successful online platform , which trades everything from gas and electricity to weather derivatives . to reassure its partners , enron is scrambling to shore up its liquidity . it has already tapped $ 3 billion in credit lines and is trying to arrange another $ 1 billion . shipman says he has seen no signs of massive customer defections or drastically worsened credit terms . still , rival traders are wary . " we certainly have taken a closer look at enron in the last week to 10 days and will continue to manage the credit risk , but we ' re still doing business with the company as usual , " says keith g . stamm , ceo of power and gas trader aquila inc . ( ila )
" speeding train . " still , with the stock battered and rating agencies considering further downgrades , that could rapidly change . in recent days , the uncertainty about enron ' s future has reduced investors ' appetite for enron debt . " no one wants to speculate on the direction or their likelihood of survival , " says a credit - derivatives salesperson . " it ' s really difficult to get in front of a speeding train . "
even if lay can calm his trading partners , he and his management team face a much tougher task of restoring their credibility on wall street . with the stock now hovering around $ 14 - - down from a high of $ 90 in august , 2000 - - some even believe that enron could be a takeover target for the likes of ge capital or royal dutch / shell group . ( rd ) both declined to comment . would enron sell ? one source close to the company says enron has talked about possible mergers and strategic alliances in the past with royal dutch / shell , among others . " if they ' re really worried about liquidity , they might take the easy way out , " he says .
if enron does pull through this crisis , some suspect it will be a humbler , more risk - averse place . the company that once believed it could expand its trading and logistics empire to all manner of commodities - - from advertising space to steel - - will be forced to scale back its grandiose visions . that ' s something some investors applaud . " the company should focus on its strengths , " says william n . adams , senior energy analyst at banc of america capital management , a major shareholder . but that ' s a far less exciting place than enron ' s energy cowboys ever hoped to roam .
by stephanie anderson forest and wendy zellner in dallas , with heather timmons in new york
november 12 , 2001
finance
business week
derivatives danger ?
lately , owners of enron ' s ( ene ) equity , bonds , and loans have been struggling to understand how exposed the company is to risks of losses that they didn ' t know about before . now , as a fuller picture of enron ' s entanglements with partnerships begins to emerge , investors have something else to worry about : credit default swaps , known as cdss for short .
that ' s financial marketspeak for insurance on bonds and bank loans . their owners pay a premium for coverage that reimburses them for any losses they have if their investments go bad . the cds market has existed only for about two years , but it ' s growing fast . goldman , sachs & co . ( gs ) and others estimate that bonds and loans with a face value of between $ 1 trillion and $ 1 . 5 trillion are covered . not surprisingly , big banks with hefty balance sheets such as j . p . morgan chase ( jpm ) , merrill lynch ( mer ) , and deutsche bank ( db ) dominate the market .
enron , however , is a player - - and the only significant one that isn ' t also a bank . competitors say that although enron has issued only between $ 500 million and $ 700 million worth of cdss so far this year , it had ambitious plans to offer them online . " they don ' t belong in this market , " says one trader . " they don ' t understand the implications . " enron did not return calls seeking comment .
of course , neither enron nor others will have to pay out unless the loans and bonds they ' re insuring turn bad . trouble is , this year is potentially a doozie for losses on corporate debt . corporate defaults could reach a record of $ 100 billion , says standard & poor ' s , like businessweek a unit of the mcgraw - hill companies . regulators say shaky bank loans hit a record $ 193 billion by early october .
if enron has insured any of the bad debt , it might have to take charges for losses if they exceed the premiums it has been getting . with all that has been happening in recent weeks , that ' s the last thing it needs .
by heather timmons in new york
november 12 , 2001
finance
by mike mcnamee
commentary : enron ' s clout won ' t sway the sec
for securities & exchange commission chairman harvey l . pitt , the sec ' s investigation into enron corp . ( ene ) could hardly have come at a worse time . the future of pitt ' s ambitious agenda of reforms in securities regulation could depend on how well he handles this case .
enron ' s political clout and close ties to president george w . bush create real risks for the sec . enron ceo kenneth l . lay is a longtime bush backer , and the company was the biggest corporate contributor to the president ' s campaign . a bush appointee , pitt is attempting a delicate balancing act . he has made it clear he wants to speed up the sec ' s enforcement , in part by rewarding companies that cooperate with probes . but he insists the sec will still come down hard on true corporate miscreants - - and knows that any signs of let - up could jeopardize the rest of his reform agenda .
enter the enron probe . the fine shadings of securities enforcement - - where most cases are settled by negotiated penalties , not court - imposed fines - - often make it hard for outsiders to tell whether the sec is being tough or lenient . but pitt must go out of his way to make it clear that the enron case is handled by the book - - getting the same strict scrutiny from the sec as any other , less connected company .
for now , top sec aides say that ' s happening . the sec enforcement div . in washington is looking into whether enron adequately disclosed to shareholders the risks of its complex deals with andrew s . fastow , the company ' s former chief financial officer . agency insiders say pitt and his fellow commissioners will be briefed on the case as it proceeds . but they insist pitt hasn ' t heard from the white house or enron ' s other political allies .
top lobbyist . enron ' s connections are numerous . besides lay ' s links to bush , an enron director , wendy lee gramm , is the wife of texas senator phil gramm , top republican on the senate banking committee . and enron spreads its lobbying budget - - $ 2 . 13 million in 2000 - - across both parties . just this year it hired four lobbying firms with democratic roots . enron says it lobbies heavily because it operates in regulated industries . it notes that electric utilities outspend it 35 to 1 .
on oct . 31 , a special committee of enron ' s board hired william r . mclucas , former sec enforcement director , to represent it . mclucas should know that any attempt to muscle the stock cops is likely to backfire . pitt , who joined the sec out of law school in 1968 , " remembers how the [ nixon - era ] sec tainted itself by turning a blind eye to [ fugitive financier ] robert vesco , " says an agency veteran . pitt has too much riding on the enron probe to let its connections sway his judgment .
mcnamee covers finance in washington .
afl - cio , amalgamated bank call on enron to redirect the mission of newly created special committee : outside directors must adopt independent role
11 / 02 / 2001
pr newswire
( copyright ( c ) 2001 , pr newswire )
washington , nov . 2 / prnewswire / - - in a shareholder letter sent today to the board of directors of the enron corporation ( nyse : ene ) , the afl - cio and the amalgamated bank called on enron to expand the mission of its newly created special committee and for enron ' s board to adopt a package of reforms designed to restore investor confidence in the battered energy firm . america ' s working families are significant shareholders of enron stock through their pension , health and welfare benefit funds .
among other suggestions , the letter urges the board to expand the special committee ' s mandate to : * examine all transactions with entities in which enron employees
or directors have an interest
* adopt procedures for reviewing insider participation in investments
* commence an extraordinary review of executive compensation
* adopt a stricter definition of director independence and disclose
director conflicts of interest
" the special committee ' s mandate is far too narrow to address the current crisis , " said richard trumka , secretary - treasurer of the afl - cio . " in light of enron ' s recent balance sheet write - downs , share price decline , and credit rating deterioration , the special committee must be forward looking and consider sweeping governance reform measures , " he explained .
" in this time of crisis , outside directors must reform enron ' s traditional lack of transparency and communicate directly with shareholders , " said gabriel caprio , president and ceo of the amalgamated bank . " this is particularly important since several outside directors have apparent conflicts of interest that compromise their objectivity , " he added .
afl - cio affiliate unions sponsor benefit funds with over $ 400 billion in assets and hold an estimated 3 . 1 million enron shares . the afl - cio is joined in its call for reform by the amalgamated bank , the trustee of the longview funds which hold 251 , 304 shares of enron . the amalgamated bank ' s longview funds are collective investment trusts that manage equity assets on behalf of workers ' benefit funds .
a copy of the letter sent to enron ' s board of directors is available by contacting the afl - cio office of investment at 202 - 637 - 3900 or online at http : / / www . shareholdervalue . org .
make your opinion count - click here
/ contact : lane windham , + 1 - 202 - 637 - 5018 , or bill patterson , + 1 - 202 - 637 - 3900 , both of afl - cio / 13 : 39 est
copyright ? 2000 dow jones & company , inc . all rights reserved .
williams ceo sees validation of co ' s bandwidth model
11 / 02 / 2001
dow jones energy service
( copyright ( c ) 2001 , dow jones & company , inc . )
houston - ( dow jones ) - at the beginning of the year , two telecommunications units born of energy companies seemed to symbolize the different ways to sell bandwidth .
enron corp . ( ene ) was viewed as the hot pioneer blazing a trail for selling telecommunications network capacity as a commodity like natural gas or electricity .
on the other hand , williams communications group ( wcg ) seemed to promote the old - fashioned method that telecommunications companies have used for making long - term agreements .
on thursday , wcg reported third - quarter earnings of $ 22 . 6 million before taxes and interest . wcg chairman and chief executive howard janzen told dow jones newswires that the earnings validated williams ' model of a bandwidth company being a provider of services , not a trader of commodities .
" i think bandwidth trading has its place , " janzen said . " it ' s developing relatively slowly . the reality is ( that ) bandwidth is not a commodity except for lower - capacity services and on certain routes with large amounts of capacity . "
enron reported an $ 80 million third - quarter loss for its broadband services unit .
as janzen views it , bandwidth is defined by the technology used to provide it .
" the bandwidth we ' ll sell five years from now will be different from what we ' re selling today because of changes in technology , " he said .
after taxes and interest , williams reported a loss of $ 272 . 7 million on revenue of $ 297 . 8 million in the third quarter . an extraordinary gain of $ 223 . 7 million from the repurchase of senior redeemable notes in the open market enabled williams to post the positive result before taxes and interest .
in the same period a year ago , williams reported a net loss of $ 150 . 5 million on revenue of $ 209 million .
williams also announced thursday that it has agreed to buy the assets of coreexpress , a company which operated on williams ' network . coreexpress guarantees data delivery over multiple networks and developed software to monitor quality of service over multiple networks .
terms of the agreement weren ' t disclosed . the deal won ' t close until undisclosed conditions are met .
williams also announced a 20 - year agreement valued at $ 267 million to provide bandwidth to boeing co .
- by erwin seba , dow jones newswires , 713 - 547 - 9214 erwin . seba @ dowjones . com
copyright ? 2000 dow jones & company , inc . all rights reserved .
usa : enron shares plunge after s & p credit rating cut .
11 / 02 / 2001
reuters english news service
( c ) reuters limited 2001 .
new york , nov 2 ( reuters ) - shares of enron corp . dropped more than 8 percent in early trade on friday , as the stock took a new plunge in a two - week free - fall , a day after its credit rating was cut for the second time this week .
enron was down 89 cents , or 7 . 4 percent , to $ 11 . 10 on the new york stock exchange , after briefly slipping to $ 10 . 95 , a price it also touched briefly on tuesday and last closed at in july 1992 .
enron , the nation ' s largest energy trader , lined up $ 1 billion of new credit on thursday in a bid to restore investor confidence . even so , standard & poor ' s cut enron ' s credit rating after stock markets closed on thursday , saying it could do so again if the situation worsens .
enron has been rocked by a stock slide that has slashed two - thirds of its share price since oct . 16 , when the company reported a $ 1 billion charge that was caused , in part , by dealings linked to a chief financial officer who was subsequently ousted .
houston - based enron is facing an investigation by the u . s . securities and exchange commission into those dealings . at issue are off - balance sheet deals with limited partnerships , run by then - cfo andrew fastow , which contributed to a $ 1 . 2 billion reduction in shareholder equity .
copyright ? 2000 dow jones & company , inc . all rights reserved .
goldman declines enron ' s request for loan amid credit concerns
2001 - 11 - 02 11 : 22 ( new york )
goldman declines enron ' s request for loan amid credit concerns
new york , nov . 2 ( bloomberg ) - - goldman sachs group inc .
refused to participate in a $ 1 billion loan to enron corp . because
it was unwilling to risk its capital on a client with falling
credit ratings that has been using its investment - banking services
less often , according to people familiar with matter .
enron chief executive kenneth lay asked for the line of
credit after meeting with bankers from goldman , j . p . morgan chase
& co . and citigroup inc . last month to discuss ways to alleviate a
cash crunch . j . p . morgan and citigroup agreed to lend on the
condition that the houston - based energy trader pledge two
pipelines as collateral .
goldman ' s refusal highlights its reluctance to provide credit
lines to all but its top fee - paying clients . by not lending to
enron , the firm also is able to advise companies that want to buy
enron or some of its assets , or make a bid of its own .
for enron , the decision makes it harder to resist the demands
of its existing lenders , who made the company give up collateral
and pay higher interest rates to get its new loan .
` ` people smell resistance to enron , ' ' said glenn reynolds , an
analyst with creditsights . com , an independent research firm . ` ` the
balance of power is the with the banks now . ' '
kathleen baum , a spokeswoman for goldman , said the firm had
` ` a long history of putting its capital to work for clients . ' ' she
wouldn ' t comment on the firm ' s relationship with enron . karen
denne , a spokeswoman for enron , said , ` ` i won ' t confirm who we
have had talks with . ' '
shut out
enron needed the $ 1 billion secured loan to supplement cash
reserves and help the company pay off existing debt . yesterday ,
standard & poor ' s cut enron ' s long - term credit rating to ` ` bbb , ' '
the second - lowest investment grade rating , from ` ` bbb + . ' '
the sec is investigating partnerships run by former chief
financial officer andrew fastow that bought and sold enron shares
and assets . those trades cost enron $ 35 million . the company also
lost $ 1 . 2 billion in shareholder equity .
enron ' s dealings with the partnerships have shut it out of
commercial - paper markets , where corporations borrow money for days
or weeks . lenders are concerned that the company may have further
losses from its trading business .
a week ago enron tapped $ 3 billion in credit lines , arranged
by j . p . morgan and citibank , to pay off $ 2 . 2 billion in commercial
paper it has outstanding .
already loaded down with enron debt , j . p . morgan and citibank
forced enron to pay as much as 2 . 5 percentage points more than the
london interbank offered rate , or libor , on its new loan ,
according to the people familiar with the matter . that ' s about
five times the spread enron is paying on its existing lines ,
according to bloomberg data .
the extra yield wasn ' t sufficient incentive for goldman to
lend . securities firms such as goldman are required to value
lending commitments at market prices , exposing them to potential
losses from declines in loan prices . banks such as j . p . morgan and
citibank are allowed to carry the assets at full value .
falling prices
enron ' s existing loans have already fallen to between 80 and
90 cents on the dollar since the company drew them down , according
to traders .
the company ' s 6 . 4 percent coupon notes due in 2006 fell as
much as 6 cents on the dollar today , with price indications
between 68 and 73 cents , traders said . yesterday , traders bid for
the bonds at 74 cents and offered to sell them at 77 cents
goldman has been getting less investment - banking business
from enron .
the no . 3 u . s . securities firm by capital hasn ' t arranged a
bond sale for enron since 1995 , and enron hasn ' t picked goldman to
advise on an acquisition or sale since at least 1993 , according to
bloomberg data . the firm is a dealer on enron ' s $ 3 billion
commercial paper program and has arranged six of the company ' s 15
preferred share sales .
without a steady flow of investment banking fees , goldman is
reluctant to make loans that tie up capital in a business that is
less profitable than advising on mergers or underwriting
securities .
among clients the firm has turned down : ford motor co . , the
second - largest automaker , and vodafone group plc , europe ' s largest
cellular phone company .
goldman did extend $ 2 billion in credit to at & t corp . as part
of a $ 25 billion credit facility last year . the largest u . s . long -
distance phone company is one of the firm ' s most lucrative
clients , however , paying out more than $ 100 million in investment -
banking fees during the past five years .
after refusing to lend to enron , goldman is unlikely to
advise the energy trader on any of its planned $ 2 . 1 billion in
asset sales , the people familiar said .
j . p . morgan is advising enron on the sale of its azurix north
american water business and may be retained , along with
citigroup ' s salomon smith barney unit , to look at other disposals
and a possible sale of the whole company , the people said .
goldman , which has an energy trading business of its own , may
already be advising potential buyers of enron ' s businesses , or
lining up a bid of its own , reynolds said .
` ` we may well see goldman pop up on the other side , which
would explain its reticence to lend , ' ' he said .
power points : time for a bronx miracle in houston
by mark golden
11 / 02 / 2001
dow jones energy service
( copyright ( c ) 2001 , dow jones & company , inc . )
a dow jones newswires column
new york - ( dow jones ) - with two outs in the bottom of the ninth and down by two runs with one man on , enron corp . ( ene ) needs nothing less than a home run just to stay in the game .
this is the home run enron must come up with : full disclosure of the assets and liabilities of those troubled partnerships that have been kept off their balance sheet , and proof the corporation can cover the difference . it ' s what stockholders , bondholders and trading partners have been demanding , but time is running out , and enron hasn ' t produced .
" we ' re going to get to that number soon and tell people . we have to do that , " said a source at enron , who didn ' t know how quickly the disclosure would come or whether it would be independently audited . " in this environment , we are going to be absolutely sure that it ' s accurate . "
enron has about $ 3 . 3 billion in debt on the two key partnerships payable in 2003 . the company will sell the assets in those partnerships and , in a worse case scenario , will face a $ 1 billion shortfall that could be covered by selling stock and other company assets , enron has said . the company hopes that when the time comes to issue new stock , shares will be trading closer to $ 20 than their current $ 11 .
investors , however , aren ' t acting as if they ' re reassured . part of the trouble , analysts with credit - rating firm standard & poor ' s said friday morning , is that until enron sells the assets , nobody knows for sure what they ' re worth or how deep the partnerships are in the hole .
s & p is confident that enron can raise enough capital to fill that hole , provided its trading partners in key energy markets continue to business with the company .
credit derivative fizzle
to see the pickle the world ' s premier energy franchise is in , one needs to look no further than its credit derivatives trading desk . that relatively new and innovative operation was getting off the ground nicely , but the desk hasn ' t been able to transact for three weeks , since the value of enron ' s stock and bonds began to plummet , according to another enron employee .
enron didn ' t respond to a request for comment , but the enron credit division in europe said in a release that lines are " constrained " as the market continues to evaluate the company ' s credit position .
until recently , customers would buy a credit derivative from enron to cover its exposure to bankruptcy by a third company . a big supplier to a financially troubled company like xerox corp . ( xrx ) or lucent technologies ( lu ) , for example , might pay enron $ 1 million a year for a payout of , say , $ 10 million in the event of a bankruptcy .
but you wouldn ' t pay the premium on your insurance unless you were sure that the insurance company could pay your claims . likewise , with enron ' s creditworthiness in doubt , there ' s no reason to pay a lot of money just to exchange lucent risk for enron risk .
the same holds true , though less obviously , for enron ' s core business of energy trading . some utilities , large industrial companies and other energy trading companies could see their profits ruined if natural gas prices - already on the rise at $ 3 per million british thermal units - shoot to $ 10 this winter as they did last winter .
to guard against that risk , companies buy contracts now for delivery this winter at set prices . if a company wants to lock in winter gas at $ 3 , should it turn to enron ? if gas were to rise to $ 10 in january and enron couldn ' t deliver , enron ' s counterparty paid a good price for no protection . and if enron failed in a $ 10 gas market , that would send hundreds of companies scrambling for supplies . gas could go to $ 20 in a heartbeat .
leading role an asset
enron does have a man on base . the company is so important to energy market participants that they desperately want enron to survive . and any company that moves to lock enron out of the market now could regret doing so if enron survives as the big dog .
enron ' s trading partners have a pretty consistent position at this point : they are continuing to trade with enron , but are avoiding long - term deals that increase their exposure to the company . the only acceptable long - term deals are those that offset deals done earlier . unless and until a bill goes unpaid , they ' ll keep delivering .
enron , like the rest of the u . s . energy industry , paid its bills for september gas deliveries on oct . 20 and for its september electricity deliveries on oct . 25 . its next power and gas bills come due in the third week of november .
that means trading companies generally have just seven weeks of receivables at risk before enron ' s creditworthiness faces another test . in exchange for taking on that small risk , they keep the great market maker in business .
lenders show concerns
lenders , whether through holding enron bonds or providing loans , don ' t have the same luxury as energy trading companies that are keeping deals on a short leash . lenders supply cash up front and for longer periods of time , usually years .
outside of long - term commitments , what worries the banks , which presumably got a good look at enron ' s books ? if enron is now unable to make the big bets with long - term energy deals that have kept it profitable for years , can it service all of its liabilities , known and unknown ? if it has to sell profitable assets like pipelines and power plants , or otherwise put those assets at risk , will lower earnings be enough to pay rising credit costs ? what happens if its greatest asset - its traders - leave in droves to work elsewhere ?
if enron is to have a chance , it needs energy trading profits to keep rolling in so that it can continue to service its debt . so far this year , trading and other wholesale operations have accounted for $ 2 . 2 billion out of $ 2 . 4 billion in net recurring income before interest and taxes . by comparison , enron has made $ 617 million in interest payments so far this year .
j . p . morgan chase 201 - 938 - 4604 ; mark . golden @ dowjones . com
copyright ? 2000 dow jones & company , inc . all rights reserved .
enron says it remains ' biggest ' player in eu gas , power
11 / 02 / 2001
dow jones energy service
( copyright ( c ) 2001 , dow jones & company , inc . )
london - ( dow jones ) - enron corp . ( ene ) said in a statement friday that it remains the " the biggest buyer and seller of gas and power in europe , " and that its enrononline platform " continues to be the key trading platform in europe . "
the company issued the statement in response to widespread rumors that several companies have ceased trading gas and power with enron since its share price took a nosedive last week .
in the statement , enron added that worldwide transactions in the power and gas markets were averaging $ 3 billion to $ 4 billion a day , up from a 30 - day average of $ 2 . 5 billion at close of business friday , oct . 26 .
enron has been on the defensive after announcing a third - quarter loss of $ 618 million two weeks ago , followed by news that it took a $ 1 . 2 billion equity write - down , based partly on transactions involving a handful of its own officers .
on wednesday , enron disclosed that the sec elevated its inquiry into enron ' s alleged related - party transactions to a formal probe .
enron corp . secured $ 1 billion in new credit lines this week , but the deal did not appease credit - rating agency standard + 44 - ( 0 ) 20 - 7842 - 9345 ; sarah . spikes @ dowjones . com
copyright ? 2000 dow jones & company , inc . all rights reserved .
usa : update 1 - enron shares fall as investor concerns linger .
by janet mcgurty
11 / 02 / 2001
reuters english news service
( c ) reuters limited 2001 .
new york , nov 2 ( reuters ) - shares in enron corp . , the u . s . energy trading giant facing a federal probe into its dealings , declined on friday amid lingering investor concern about management credibility and the outcome of pending lawsuits .
shares of enron were off 62 cents , or 5 . 2 percent , at $ 11 . 37 in early afternoon trade on the new york stock exchange , recouping some losses after plunging briefly to $ 10 . 95 , a closing price last seen in july 1992 and touched in intraday trade on tuesday .
enron debt due in 2006 declined about another 6 points , and was trading at about 65 cents on the dollar . the bonds were trading at about $ 1 . 01 two weeks ago , before enron announced on oct . 16 a $ 1 billion charge , caused in part by dealings linked to partnerships run until recently by a chief financial officer who was ousted last week , and that form part of the federal probe .
" there remain several fundamental issues that we believe need to be addressed before the clouds can clear above enron ' s skies , " said ronald barone of brokerage ubs warburg .
apart from the probe by the securities and exchange commission , barone said concerns include " the evolving state of the company ' s balance sheet , management credibility and ultimate outcome of shareholder lawsuits . "
a handful of law firms have sued enron , saying it overstated operating results , failed to write down assets on a timely basis and concealed investments that might require the company to issue large amounts of shares to cover loses .
enron ' s woes have put it under intense investor scrutiny , with the company losing about $ 17 billion in market capitalization in the past two weeks . the afl - cio union umbrella urged enron on friday to review executive compensation and adopt procedures for insider investments , among other recommendations .
afl - cio affiliate unions sponsor benefit funds that hold an estimated 3 . 1 million enron shares .
premium player in risk management
shares also plunged on friday - they have fallen about two - thirds in the past two weeks - after standard & poor ' s cut enron ' s credit rating late thursday , the second cut this week .
although s & p said another rate cut could ensue if enron ' s situation worsens , a team of s & p analysts told investors on a conference call on friday they were confident they were aware of all the company ' s financial obligations .
enron has been criticized for providing scant details about its dealings , leading to concerns about the riskiness of its obligations .
" enron is a premium player in the risk management area , " said ronald barone , a member of the s & p team who is not related to ubs ' s barone .
the s & p analysts said they were using about $ 1 . 5 billion as the amount of off - balance sheet items , about half the $ 3 billion calculated in past years , because of a change in reporting international energy assets , which no longer puts non - recourse debt onto the balance sheet in places like india and south america .
the s & p analysts also said they felt enron ' s move to secure a $ 1 billion line of additional credit earlier this week sent out enron ' s clear commitment to credit quality .
they also said it seemed reasonable to expect a long - term solution to fix enron ' s hard to understand balance sheet would assume an infusion of long - term equity as well as asset sales .
the s & p ratings team also said it was closely monitoring enron ' s trading partners for a change in their credit stance toward enron and , to date , have seen no significant change .
but they cautioned that could change at any time and that was the reason for putting enron on the credit watch listing .
enron chairman and chief executive officer ken lay , who has been criticized for not providing the public enough details on enron , was a no - show at a business conference in houston where he had been scheduled to speak on friday morning .
enron executive robert bradley , who declined to respond to questions from reuters after his speech , said he had been sent to replace lay because " ken is better at putting out fires at enron . "
copyright ? 2000 dow jones & company , inc . all rights reserved .