by Calculated Risk on 10/09/2008 09:05:00 AM
Thursday, October 09, 2008
TED Spread at Record
Here is the TED Spread from Bloomberg. The TED spread hit a record 4.13 this morning. This is far above the highs reached during the previous waves of the credit crisis.
Note: the TED spread is the difference between the LIBOR interest rate and the three month T-bill. Usually the TED spread is less than 0.5%. The higher the spread, the greater the perceived credit risks (compared to "risk free" treasuries).
From Bloomberg: Libor Dollar Rate Jumps to Highest in Year; Credit Stays Frozen
The cost of borrowing in dollars for three months in London soared to the highest level this year as coordinated interest-rate reductions worldwide failed to revive lending among banks for any longer than a day.The credit markets are still in severe distress.
...
The London interbank offered rate, or Libor, for three-month loans rose to 4.75 percent today, the highest level since Dec. 28. The Libor-OIS spread, a measure of cash scarcity, widened to a record.