re: #552 BryanS

It is true that the stock price fall is hysteria—for now. The market is pricing in the worst case scenario, and probably worse than the cleanup costs will end up. But that stock will rebound if the cleanup costs do not exceed BP’s ability to pay them. If the cleanup costs exceed BP’s ability to pay them, then unfortunately for the investors they will lose their investment unless BP is bailed out. It would seem it should be Great Britain to take the lead on the bailing, though.

The issue isn’t the clean up costs. Those are likely a fraction of the lost value. It is the rhetoric and the hysteria. The President himself going after the company like that.