I've been offline the last few days and just caught this on Dealbook - perhaps a little late, but amusingly appropriate...
‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through Wall Street,
Not a derivative was trading, not even a REIT;
Stocks were tumbling with great despair,
Dreams of executive bonuses were vanishing right out of thin air;
Bankers and rating agencies nestled all snug in the same bed,
While visions of AAA danced in their head;
And Fannie in her kerchief and Freddie in his cap,
Fell asleep holding bags of subprime mortgages in their lap;
When out of the credit markets arose a crisis to scare,
All awakened with panic to the fall of a behemoth named Bear;
Away to the discount window the Fed flew like a flash,
As Lehman’s stocking hung desperately by the chimney with no cash;
When what on A.I.G.’s wish list should suddenly appear,
But a $700 billion bundle of holiday cheer;
Not so for The Big Three with bankruptcy near,
Taxpayers exclaim, recession in the new year!
Obama in the White House, Democrats shout out with glee,
If only Santa could bring investors the gift of liquidity.
For Madoff, lumps of coal, $50 billion out of sight,
Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night.
