“I think we’ve got fabulous capital markets in this country, and they get screwed up often enough to make them even more fabulous. I mean, you don’t want a capital market that functions perfectly if you’re in my business. ”
–Warren Buffett, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway and billionaire investor, to Fortune‘s Nicholas Varchaver in his cover story, “What Warren Thinks…” On Tuesday Goldman Sachs announced that it will receive a $5 billion dollar investment from Buffett’s company, a move that could help boost confidence in the market.
Last week U.S. Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson, the former CEO of Goldman Sachs, coordinated a bailout of American International Group , after refusing to rescue Lehman Brothers (LEH) earlier in the week (Barclays subsequently agreed to buy Lehman’s North America unit). During the week prior, Paulson orchestrated a federal takeover of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae and in March brokered a deal for JPMorgan Chase to acquire Bear Stearns.