I don't think there's any [major brokerage] operating at 100 percent efficiency. It's just that Merrill has a little more room to scale back than some of the other firms, but I view that as an opportunity. |
I've always thought that Merrill had a lot of fat to trim. This is a fulfillment of those promises they made. |
If consummated, the deal would fit better than other deals that have been proposed. |
If the Europeans do buy, it won't be now. A lot of the time they prefer to wait until the coast is clear instead of bottom tick the market. |
Merrill Lynch is still quite profitable in a very tough year. |
Mutual funds continue to be the most cost-effective means of investing. |
Schwab is clearly the more likely to survive. |