FOR COMMERZBANK AND HypoVereinsbank, it looked as if Christmas had come early. It had been an annus horribilis of constant bad news, rumours of liquidity crises and rating downgrades, when the share prices of both banks fell by over 70%. Then suddenly at the beginning of December investors couldn’t get enough of them. Frenzied buying sent Commerzbank up by 100% and HVB by almost 60% from their October lows.
So what caused all the excitement? Actually not much: a relatively banal remark by Heiner Hasford, a Munich Re board member, to the effect that the insurer would not object if Commerz and HVB decided to merge.
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