Wednesday March 7, 2012

Wall St bonuses down 25%

Company profits estimated at a steep drop to US$10.5bil for 2011

NEW YORK: Wall Street's bonuses fell nearly 25% in 2011, a New York City fiscal watchdog estimated, a less severe drop than the industry had anticipated, though still likely to deal a blow to the economies of New York City and New York state.

Compensation experts had said this important component of total wages earned by securities industry employees would plunge 30% to 40%.

However, the decline in bonuses as estimated by the New York City Independent Budget Office (IBO) was nearly twice that forecast last week by the state comptroller, who had forecast a 13% shrinkage, to US$121,150 per person.

Profits earned by Wall Street firms were estimated by the IBO at US$10.5bil for 2011, a steep drop from US$27.6bil in 2010.

American powerhouse: Wall Street, the ‘home’ to numerous giant companies, is expected to shed 4,300 jobs in 2012, while wages, including bonuses, are likely to fall 7 .5%. – AFP

Last week, State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli forecast that Wall Street's profits in 2011 would not top US$13.5bil.

Wall Street, which powers the economies of New York City and New York state, is expected to shed 4,300 jobs in 2012, while wages, including bonuses, will fall 7.5%, the IBO said in a statement.

In contrast, the City Council Finance Committee, in a separate report issued on Monday, said that in 2011 the average wage earned by a securities industry worker should rise 1.6% to US$369,000 a year.

Wall Street's profits and high compensation drive job creation in a host of other industries, from law firms to restaurants.

The forecast for a 2011 pay increase for Wall Street workers looks slim when compared with the 17.6 percent gain seen in 2010 that the Finance Committee estimated.

The forecasts by the Finance Committee and the IBO which plays the same role for city that the Congressional Budget Office does for Congress, show ongoing struggles for the securities industry, which faces stiffer federal regulations and reduced trading volume.

Europe's debt problems also present a challenge for both Wall Street and the entire US financial sector.

US banks have about US$80bil of exposure to Spain, Italy, Portugal, Ireland and Greece, the Finance Committee said in a separate report issued on Monday.

“On a positive side, industry reports suggest Wall Street has been pricing in the possibility of a Greek default since early 2010,” the Finance Committee report said.

The IBO, the Finance Committee, and City Comptroller John Liu on Monday presented their analyses of Mayor Michael Bloomberg's US$68.7bil budget plan.

Tax revenue should surpass the mayor's forecast by US$227mil in the fiscal year that ends on June 30, and by US$380mil in the following year, the Finance Committee said.

New York City's economy, despite Wall Street's ongoing upheaval, has added back 64% of the 139,800 private sector jobs lost during the recession, according to the Finance Committee.

However, the city's unemployment rate, after falling to 8.6% in April 2011, has risen since June and hit 9% in December.

The IBO predicted the city would collect US$230mil more tax revenue in the current fiscal year. But tougher regulations for Wall Street, which could clip the sector's profits, led the IBO to cut the forecast for tax revenue it made in December for 2013 by nearly US$460mil. For fiscal 2014, it cut its estimate by US$630mil. Reuters

More News

Business

Wednesday March 7, 2012

Wall St bonuses down 25%