The Brian Sullivan Blog
  • November 25, 2009 11:59 AM EST by Brian Sullivan

    Dubai To Debtors: Drop Dead

    burj-dubai

    Remember when Dubai was seen as the unstoppable model of the new global economy?

    How things have changed.

    Real estate and port conglomerate Dubai World is telling investors its imposing a 6 month standstill on payback of debt.    It's part of a major restructuring effort to deal with the huge downturn in Dubai's fortunes.

    From the Wall Street Journal:

    The government said late Wednesday that its Financial Support Fund, a fund set up to manage Dubai's debt earlier this year, would start to assess and evaluate the extend of the restructuring required. As part of that assessment, it said officials intend to ask lenders for a debt "standstill" and request they extend maturities until at least May 30.

    Most immediately, the standstill will affect a $3.65 billion bond that Dubai World real-estate subsidiary Nakheel was scheduled to repay next month. The bond was seen as a crucial test of Dubai's ability to pay its debt, amid a real-estate market crash that has ricocheted across the emirate's once-booming economy.

    Dubai World has been on a spending orgy for years, building everything from the palm tree shaped island in Dubai to luxury retailer Barney's and attempting to buy six major seaports in America.   All that spending has caught up with the region.

    The questions are now:

    1. Which banks are going to get hit hardest by this?    European and Asian banks are certain to have exposure to this mess.

    2. Is this the start of something more severe, a la the Russian debt crisis of 1998?

    Watch for developments over the next few days.

Matt

They use slave labor in Dubai on their construction projects. (Google "slave labor in Dubai" to see what I'm talking about) And yet they still couldn't control their expenses. lol. Are the leaders of Dubai going to end up in their own debtor's prisons? And next month another Dubai-financed disaster is going to open in Las Vegas: City Center.

November 29, 2009 at 4:39 am

HwnProverb

The economic system world wide is not BACKED byany solid asset(S).Easily acessable paper thrown world wide created an illusional flush of wealth, in the thrust for globalization. This is/was the fastest way to tie in the World. Casualties are part of the coming together. Dubai is onf many effected by the Global Change. Old rules are not applicable. New rules create fear and Havoc. Dubai is one of many challenged by the now Future Shock. 1Lst half of 2010 looks depressionary.

November 29, 2009 at 3:59 am

Doug

Next we will be told Dubai is "to big to fail"

November 28, 2009 at 7:09 pm

Marc

AHHHHHH, the worm turns.

November 28, 2009 at 1:51 pm

isoopto

Throughout history the rich have become so by victimizing the masses. Yet, the masses cannot see it. Although each generation of the rich can see it.

November 27, 2009 at 11:56 pm

Allen Cook

Did you really think there was a market for 100 plus story office buildings in the middle of the desert? Who did they think was going to lease/ purchase all that office, retail hotel and residential space? Another example of what generally happens when you spend more then you make.

November 27, 2009 at 3:31 pm

Frank

Wow James. Your ignorance is startling.

November 27, 2009 at 3:02 pm

Narinder Singh

This can be seen, when people do not think they have limits, and bankers whom are willing to throw money at such adventures.This will hurt the European and Asian Bankers the most, and also we must be aware that the European bankers have invested a lot of money in Eastern European countries which also are suffering heavily. A other bubble too burst shortly.

November 27, 2009 at 1:16 pm

James

Those obsurd bastards reveled in the money they raped us for when crude was so overpriced! Now they are screwing our economies up because they cannot pay their bills. Screw them, anything they own here in the USA lets Nationalise and take for our country! They are a part of the Oil monopoly over there and they flaunted their money in arrogance, what are they gonna do now get a bail out from Obama and his socialistic ass? Better not!

November 27, 2009 at 9:15 am

about this blog

  • Brian Sullivan joined FOX Business Network (FBN) in April 2008 as an anchor. He co-anchors the 10am-12pm ET hours of the FOX Business block. Prior to joining FBN, Sullivan served as an anchor for Bloomberg Television where he hosted the programs Morning Call and In Focus.

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