Question

In: Accounting

What part did Wall Street, with its stockbrokers, investment advisors, and stock analysts, play in the...

What part did Wall Street, with its stockbrokers, investment advisors, and stock analysts, play in the Enron debacle?

At least 300 words

Solutions

Expert Solution

The ENRON Scandal is considered to be one of the most notorious within American history; an ENRON scandalsummary of events is considered by many historians and economists alike to have been an unofficial blueprint for a case study on White Collar Crime – White Collar Crime is defined as non-violent, financially-based criminal activity typically undertaken within a setting in which its participants retain advanced education with regard to employment that is considered to be prestigious

ENRON Scandal Summary: The Deregulation of ENRON

While the term regulation within a commercial and corporate setting typically applied to the government’s ability to regulate and authorize commercial activity and behavior with regard to individual businesses, the ENRON executives applied for – and were subsequently granted – government deregulation. As a result of this declaration of deregulation, ENRON executives were permitted to maintain agency over the earnings reports that were released to investors and employees alike.

This agency allowed for ENRON’s earning reports to be extremely skewed in nature – losses were not illustrated in their entirety, prompting more and more investments on the part of investors wishing to partake in what seemed like a profitable company

ENRON Scandal Summary: Misrepresentation

By misrepresenting earnings reports while continuing to enjoy the revenue provided by the investors not privy to the true financial condition of ENRON, the executives of ENRON embezzled funds funneling in from investments while reporting fraudulent earnings to those investors; this not only proliferated more investments from current stockholders, but also attracted new investors desiring the enjoy the apparent financial gains enjoyed by the ENRON corporation.

ENRON Scandal Summary: Fraudulent Energy Crisis

In the year 2000, subsequent to the discovery of the crimes listed in the above ENRON Scandal Summary, ENRON had announced that there was a critical circumstance within California with regard to the supply of Natural Gas. Due to the fact the ENRON was a then-widely respected corporation, the general populace were not wary about the validity of these statements.

However, upon retroactive review, many historians and economists suspect that the ENRON executives manufactured this crisis in preparation of the discovery of the fraud they had committed – although the executives of ENRON were enjoying the funds rendered from investments, the corporation itself was approaching bankruptcy.

ENRON Scandal Summary: Embezzlement

An ENRON Scandal Summary of the acts of Embezzlement undertaken by ENRON Executives may be defined as the criminal activity involving the unlawful and unethical attainment of monies and funding by employees; typically, funds that are embezzled are intended for company use in lieu of personal use. While the ENRON executives were pocketing the investment funds from unsuspecting investors, those funds were being stolen from the company, which resulted in the bankruptcy of the company.

ENRON Scandal Summary: Losses and Consequences

Due to the actions of the ENRON executives, the ENRON Company went bankrupt. The loss sustained by investors exceeded $70 billion. Furthermore, these actions cost both trustees and employees upwards of $2 billion; this total is considered to be a result of misappropriated investments, pension funds, stock options, and savings plans – as a result of the government regulation and the limited liability status of the ENRON Corporation, only a small amount of the money lost was ever returned.

.


Related Solutions

Describe the history and current issues facing Wall Street. What did you learn about Wall Street...
Describe the history and current issues facing Wall Street. What did you learn about Wall Street that surprised you? What questions do you still have?
Question 6 (15 marks) Nash Manufacturing is a “darling” of Wall Street analysts. Its current market...
Question 6 Nash Manufacturing is a “darling” of Wall Street analysts. Its current market price is $20 per share, and its book value is $8 per share. Analysts forecast that the firm’s book value will grow by 12 percent per year indefinitely, and the cost of equity is 17 percent. (Hint: You could apply the shortcut forms of profit-based valuation asset valuation model) 1) Given these facts, what is the market’s expectation of the firm’s long-term average ROE? 2) What...
Interpret the following statements made by Wall Street analysts and portfolio managers. a. “The existence of...
Interpret the following statements made by Wall Street analysts and portfolio managers. a. “The existence of financial futures contracts allows our firm to hedge against temporary market declines without liquidating our portfolios.” b. “Given my confidence in the market, I plan to use stock index futures to increase my exposure to market movements.” c. “We used currency futures to hedge the exchange rate exposure of our international mutual fund focused on German stocks.”
Analysts on Wall Street get paid enormous amounts of money to leave their current firm and...
Analysts on Wall Street get paid enormous amounts of money to leave their current firm and bring their clients and business with them to a new firm. The bonus structure for bringing new business to a firm was spread over 6 years. The average analyst was paid $16 million immediately to leave their old firm, $6.5 million at the end of year 1, $7 million at the end of year 2, $8.5 million at the end of year 3, $9...
What is a board of advisors? What role does a board of advisors play in the management of a firm?
What is a board of advisors? What role does a board of advisors play in the management of a firm? Give an example
Interpret the following comments made by Wall Street analysts and portfolio managers. a. “Our firm took...
Interpret the following comments made by Wall Street analysts and portfolio managers. a. “Our firm took a hit because we wrote put options on stocks just before the stock market crash.” b. “Before hedging our stock portfolio with options on index futures, we search for the index that is most appropriate.” c. “We prefer to use covered call writing to hedge our stock portfolios.”
1. In the Wall Street Journal, looking at the stock transactions on the New York Stock...
1. In the Wall Street Journal, looking at the stock transactions on the New York Stock Exchange, the price of a share of McDonald's stock was: $53.67. You buy the stock. Unfortunately, this gets you thinking and you're hungry. (I know, what does this last bit of information have to do with finance? Trust me - read on. FYI, this is obviously NOT a test bank question.) You buy a Big Mac for $2.79. Considering these two transactions (the stock...
what type of implications did the Dodd-Frank act have on wall-street? Be specific please. The answer...
what type of implications did the Dodd-Frank act have on wall-street? Be specific please. The answer must at least be a page.
What do you think of Wall Street (or any financial markets)? Do we need Wall Street?...
What do you think of Wall Street (or any financial markets)? Do we need Wall Street? Why or Why not? Do a bit of research on how the financial markets (in the US, or other countries of your interest) were affected by the Covid-19 since March until now. What is "The Paradox of Thrift"? How does that apply to our current situation?
a. What are CDO'S and how did they play a part in the mortgage collapse? b....
a. What are CDO'S and how did they play a part in the mortgage collapse? b. What are crypto Currencies and how do they work?
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT