Bank Of America Capital Scramble Continues With Alleged Closure Of China Construction Bank Stake Sale

We are not sure how this is news, since it was announced weeks ago, but according to CNBC the bank that did not need capital, is following up yesterday's $5 billion capital raise with another $10 or so billion by selling "at least half of its 10% stake in CCB." That said, back on August 11, the FT came out with a report titled, "BofA faces struggle to sell CCB stake" in which we learn that "Bank of America is facing difficulties in selling its 10 per cent stake in China Construction Bank, partly because potential investors are expecting a deluge of rights issues, share sales and new listings from Chinese banks. But it might now raise less than than it had hoped. The BofA stake, once valued at $20bn, is now believed to be worth several billion dollars less, according to bankers. The US bank has approached sovereign wealth funds and other investors in the Middle East and in Asia, according to people familiar with the matter. The Kuwait Investment Authority was one potential buyer BofA approached, these people add, but the sovereign wealth fund already holds large stakes in ICBC and Agricultural Bank of China. “Right now, the KIA does not want to do anything more,” says one person with knowledge of the matter. “They think they have enough exposure to Chinese banks.” The KIA expects the two banks in which it already has shares to launch rights offers and the KIA intends to support those banks. "They will only look at CCB if the discount is high enough,” the person added...Potential buyers say the timing for BofA is particularly sensitive because, if CCB does launch a rights offer – as is widely expected – and BofA is still a main shareholder, it will be obliged to participate, using capital it can ill afford to part with." Stated otherwise, this must be one of those, "this time it's different" occasions. Next up: Bank of America does not, repeat NOT, need to sell its employee's blackberrys, but it will. Just because.

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New MasterCard Stake and Secret Holdings for Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway

Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway is reporting a new, but relatively small, stake in MasterCard.

It's not, however, publicly reporting some "confidential information" on its just-released 13-F filing with the SEC.

As of the end of the first quarter on March 31, Berkshire reports adding 216,000 shares of MasterCard to its U.S. stock holdings.

At today's closing price of $279.15, that stake is worth just over $60 million.

Current price: [MA  Loading...      ()   ]

That's not much by Buffett standards and it is likely the stake was bought by Berkshire's new portfolio manager Todd Combs.  He specializes in financial stocks.

Berkshire also reports a miniscule reduction in its holdings of ConocoPhillips, selling just 8,000 shares, a change of -0.02748 percent. Current price: [COP  Loading...      ()   ]

But that's not the whole story.  The filing notes that some information has been omitted from the document released to the public.  Buffett's Berkshire sometimes asks for, and receives, SEC permission to keep some holdings secret, usually as the company is building a stake.  That's designed to discourage copycat buyers who could drive up the price of Berkshire's future purchases.

Current Berkshire stock prices:

Class B: [BRK.B  Loading...      ()   ]

Class A: [BRK.A  Loading...      ()   ]

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