Porsche and the Volkswagon Trial

[M.D. Holloway]

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/15/business/international/ex-porsche-executives-trial-sheds-light-on-a-familys-rise-at-volkswagen.html?_r=0

Interesting info.

It was no secret by then that Porsche was trying to take over Volkswagen and had acquired a sizable bloc of shares, as well as options. Porsche was eager to protect its relationship with Volkswagen, which helped manufacture highly profitable Porsche cars like the Cayenne sport utility vehicle.

But the size of the options position came as a shock to the investors betting that the stock would fall. They realized that if VW had locked up so many shares, relatively few were still up for grabs.

[Willem Fick]

A margin call of 4.3 Billion Euros? Just thinking it makes my stomach churn and eyes water!

[widebody911]

Reminds me of the old saying "When you owe the bank a thousand dollars, you have a problem. When you owe the bank a billion dollars, the bank has a problem."