Quote from Alexandre:
I find it very ironic that governments around the world attack GS for shorting subprime.
Yes, securitization fuelled an appettite for borrowing, but it didn't create the bubble in the housing market, in the CRE and in personal borrowings.
Governments should have regulated borrowing instead of encouraging it. They should have set a minimum downpayment of 30% for housing purchase for instance.
They encouraged borrowing because everybody should be a home owner for instance.
Prudence was not encouraged by governments. Now, they need someone to blame for their failure and someone to pay for their mistakes.
It now looks like shorting subprime will be recategorized as a crime.
Every action that threatens the unravelling of the card castle will be punished.
This is statism with a big dose of big brother. He who doesn't abide or play the game will be suppressed.