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Wall Street Bonuses Hit $21.5 Billion
AP via Yahoooooo ^ | January 11, 2006

Posted on 01/11/2006 5:58:18 PM PST by ARealMothersSonForever

NEW YORK - Bonuses at Wall Street firms climbed to a projected record of $21.5 billion last year as revenue grew, according to the New York state comptroller's office.

Comptroller Alan Hevesi said Wednesday that 2005's bonus tally was $2 billion more than the old record, which was set in 2000. In 2004, Wall Street bonuses came to an estimated $18.6 billion.

Last year's average bonus was pegged at $125,500, also a record, Hevesi said.

Revenue at Wall Street firms rose 44.5 percent through the first three quarters of 2005, climbing to the highest level since 2000, the year when the stock market peaked, Hevesi's office said. The mergers-and-acquisitions business accounted for most of the surge.

"The securities industry had a very good year during 2005," Hevesi said.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: adelphia; artzt; bernie; ca; computerassociates; ebbers; economy; enron; kumar; lay; rigas; sanjay; tyco; wallstreet; worldcom; zar
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To: Mase

fine, but that still does not explain how legitimate, well respected firms on wall street pumped and dumped these enterprises. my point was, this is not a "legitimate function of the market", its fraud.

it would be as if a travel agency trade group got together and said that the existence of travel agencies who take people's vacation money, and they reneg on their trip plans and walk away, is somehow a "legitimate function" of the travel agency business. its not, its fraud.


81 posted on 01/11/2006 8:30:44 PM PST by oceanview
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To: gore_sux
Don't we need engineers engineering instead of pushing electronic dollars around?

Do we need engineers to to seek out and evaluate investment opportunities in a world that is driven more and more by technology? If you are an tech entrepreneur who employs engineers, has a great product and business plan, but doesn't have enough capital to go to market with this awesome product, what do you do?

82 posted on 01/11/2006 8:35:49 PM PST by Mase
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To: gore_sux
I don't think anybody can argue with the system but it sure looks like there is a big inefficiency in the chain.

Inefficient? Where? Our markets offer the most efficient allocation of capital in the world. Do you realize how much capital is required to grow a $12 trillion dollar economy at 4% a year?

83 posted on 01/11/2006 8:40:35 PM PST by Mase
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To: gore_sux
The people putting up the dough are the risk takers; Wall Street is just the bookie and takes no risk at all, just a cut.

I guess investment banks really don't do any investing then? Companies underwriting stock offerings never take positions? No venture capitalists on Wall Street? Yeah, sure, all risk is removed from their business yet they realize huge returns. Is that what you think? The relationship of risk and return has not been repealed. You just don't understand how it works.

84 posted on 01/11/2006 8:46:42 PM PST by Mase
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To: oceanview
my point was, this is not a "legitimate function of the market", its fraud.

I agree. There has been fraud in the market in the past and there will be fraud in the future. Even so, our markets remain the most reliable and transparent in the world. However, individuals need to take responsibility for their investments. If something sounds to good to be true...well, you know the saying. Investing in a company selling dog food on the internet, regardless of what they tell you, is just stupid. These kind of investors should be buying money markets and CD's.

85 posted on 01/11/2006 8:54:31 PM PST by Mase
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To: VegasCowboy
Yooooooooo hooooooooo...you're replying to the wrong person, or left out a modifier. I'm the one who said that Wall Street is not, not, NOT a "fraud" and it isn't.

There always have been and still are some shady characters; however, that is true of every business.

The people who lose money in some "get rich quick" scam, have nobody but themselves to blame. And nobody should ever play the market, with money that they can't afford to lose.

86 posted on 01/11/2006 9:13:15 PM PST by nopardons
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To: Nowhere Man

Go back to Victoriana, dear friend, and forget the tinfiol! :-)


87 posted on 01/11/2006 9:16:19 PM PST by nopardons
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To: maui_hawaii
It has NOT been "pretty bad"!

I guess you are having financial/job problems, so to you, everything has been "pretty bad". Case closed.

88 posted on 01/11/2006 9:19:42 PM PST by nopardons
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To: Nowhere Man
"THE MAN"?

And what 1930s, grade b movie did that line come from? LOL

89 posted on 01/11/2006 9:22:01 PM PST by nopardons
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To: nopardons
Well I guess the fed lowered rates to 40 year lows on a whim. Whoda thunk it?

within the past few years we DID have the highest unemployment rate in years.

The DOW was below 7500 at certain points.

What? are you blind or something?

90 posted on 01/11/2006 9:29:36 PM PST by maui_hawaii
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To: nopardons
That being said, no one is looking backwards.... but to deny history is plain ignorance. Especially recent history.

I don't know what kind of agenda you have or why but thats about all it amounts to is some sort of agenda.

To say the economy hasn't had its problems is up on the same level with that Iranian nutjob who said the holocaust never happened or a bunch of Chinese nutcases who believed Mao saved the world and refuse to acknowledge that the US actually ended the war with a couple of little A-bombs...

Denial is a river, I don't think you otta live in it.

91 posted on 01/11/2006 9:35:45 PM PST by maui_hawaii
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To: maui_hawaii
Usually, "bad times" is what recessions are called.I know what a recession looks like; we haven't been in one.

Even during the best of times, some people do poorly.

There was this wee thing that happened on September 11, 20001, which did have quite an impact on our economy. And being neither "blind" nor stupid, I know and understand what's been going on.

Sweetums, I remember when the DOW was at 3,000. SO?

92 posted on 01/11/2006 9:49:20 PM PST by nopardons
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To: maui_hawaii
My "agenda" is to slap doom&gloomers and those suffering with the green with envy blues, upside their heads. Neither do I take kindly to posted tinfoil and replies replete with errors.

What's YOUR "agenda"?

93 posted on 01/11/2006 9:51:33 PM PST by nopardons
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To: RTINSC
Your comments would indicate you do not understand the function of Wall Street, the market, traders, or capitalism in general.

Yeah. You're right. Can you go to GE and send them check and have them send you stock certificates? Why do we have to pay a broker to buy them for us?

94 posted on 01/12/2006 4:49:24 AM PST by raybbr (ANWR is a barren, frozen wasteland - like the mind of a democrat!)
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To: Mase
I guess investment banks really don't do any investing then? Companies underwriting stock offerings never take positions? No venture capitalists on Wall Street? Yeah, sure, all risk is removed from their business yet they realize huge returns. Is that what you think? The relationship of risk and return has not been repealed. You just don't understand how it works.

No investment banks don't do any investing, unless you count the deposit and reinvestment of their profits (which is the same as any other company). They take the money from the people who deposit into their banks and invest it.

I'm not talking about the venture capitalists. They are also investors. The people getting the bonuses are simply moving the money of the venture capitalists from one basket to another.

95 posted on 01/12/2006 4:49:51 AM PST by gore_sux (and so does Xlinton)
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To: nopardons
Couldn't get a job "on the STREET"? LOL

Why would I? I don't want to become a leech.

Wall Street has been OPEN for more than 30 years; as has other exchanges. And even when it was more of an "old boy" network, it was still more open than you are claiming. Neither, I might add, is it a "scam".

Really? Can I go and trade on the floor?

96 posted on 01/12/2006 4:54:15 AM PST by raybbr (ANWR is a barren, frozen wasteland - like the mind of a democrat!)
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To: raybbr

There are companies that will sell stock directly without a brokerage fee and you can get paper certificates if you request them.


97 posted on 01/12/2006 5:00:47 AM PST by RTINSC (There is no guarantee of Success but Failure is guaranteed if you are not successful..)
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To: raybbr
The stock market is a scam.

Yeah. I only made 1200% on my APPL stock in these last two years. /s

As of yesterday, my original $75k bumped seven figures. Damned stock market...


98 posted on 01/12/2006 5:02:31 AM PST by pageonetoo (You'll spot their posts soon enough!)
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To: raybbr

"Really? Can I go and trade on the floor?"

The stock exchange is a business, not a public service..If you want to trade on the floor, you buy the right..


99 posted on 01/12/2006 5:04:30 AM PST by RTINSC (There is no guarantee of Success but Failure is guaranteed if you are not successful..)
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To: nopardons
I don't have an agenda. 99% of the time I never post on threads like this because it turns into a flame war.

If I did have an agenda it would be to call it like I see it. Some of the posts I see are to 'slap doom and gloomer', howbeit unduly.

Basically put don't go off passing personal judgement on me (or other freepers)...There are those who went 6 or 9 months on a job search.

Excuse me if I didn't care too much for hand delivering a few thousand resumes over a 6 month term through 3 different cities. But hey, 'we weren't in a recession' according to you... and 'everything is great'.

I found a job eventually, but does that qualify me as a gloom and doomer?

If I did have an agenda it would be to help other freepers not come across as condescending a-holes because the reality is out there.

In a much larger picture if any elected official anywhere near me made any insensitive (and ignorant) comments as the ones posted here, I would lead the charge to remove said politician from office. I would man the phones and go door to door even if he/she did have an (R) behind their name.

Why? Because who needs an idiot in congress?

If you want to cheerlead the economy thats fine. I do it all the time. One doesn't do that by insulting the people they are trying to cheer up. What kind of cheerleader is that?

100 posted on 01/12/2006 5:32:27 AM PST by maui_hawaii
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