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The Lehman Brothers Bankruptcy H: The Global Contagion

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Abstract

When Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy on September 15, 2008, it was the largest such filing in U.S. history and a huge shock to the world's financial markets, which were already stressed from the deflated housing bubble and questions about subprime mortgages. Lehman was the fourth-largest U.S. investment bank with assets of $639 billion and its operations spread across the globe. Lehman's clients and counterparties began to disclose millions of dollars of potential losses as they accounted for their exposures. But the impact of Lehman's demise was felt well beyond its counterparties. Concern regarding its real estate assets, its large derivative book, and its significant involvement with collateralized debt obligations (CDOs)--a new type of security that incorporated subprime mortgages--soon "infected" the shadow banking system, contributing to a retraction of wholesale funding and a severe liquidity crisis for many firms, including many with no direct links to Lehman. In this case, we explore the concept of "financial contagion" and how a sudden shock to one firm, such as Lehman, can lead to other firms and markets experiencing similar impacts that are not totally explained by direct linkages.

Suggested Citation

  • Metrick, Andrew, 2019. "The Lehman Brothers Bankruptcy H: The Global Contagion," Journal of Financial Crises, Yale Program on Financial Stability (YPFS), vol. 1(1), pages 172-199, March.
  • Handle: RePEc:ysm:ypfsfc:1199
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    File URL: https://elischolar.library.yale.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1007&context=journal-of-financial-crises
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    1. Gary B. Gorton, 2010. "Questions and Answers about the Financial Crisis," NBER Working Papers 15787, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
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    3. Campello, Murillo & Graham, John R. & Harvey, Campbell R., 2010. "The real effects of financial constraints: Evidence from a financial crisis," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 97(3), pages 470-487, September.
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    5. Dornbusch, Rudiger & Park, Yung Chul & Claessens, Stijn, 2000. "Contagion: Understanding How It Spreads," The World Bank Research Observer, World Bank, vol. 15(2), pages 177-197, August.
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    Cited by:

    1. Thomas B. King & Travis D. Nesmith & Anna Paulson & Todd Prono, 2023. "Central Clearing and Systemic Liquidity Risk," International Journal of Central Banking, International Journal of Central Banking, vol. 19(4), pages 85-142, October.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Lehman Brothers; Chapter 11; Financial Crisis; 2008; contagion; CDO;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G01 - Financial Economics - - General - - - Financial Crises
    • G28 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Government Policy and Regulation

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