GM posted a $6 billion dollar quarterly loss. Toyota just lost $7.7 billion for the quarter..ats allz i'm sayin'.

Try here.

For the year the total losses for Toyota is down about $4.4 Billion. For the fourth Quarter the losses for Toyota were $7.7 billion. The fourth quarter losses are partially offset by profits from the first part of the year.

Based on General Motors last 10k they appear to have lost $30.9 billion in 2008.

But my main point was that G.M. had a revenue stream of $13.4 billion in TARP money. If Toyota had that kind of revenue, it would have kicked G.M.'s behind. It's not intended to be a politically loaded observation.

markm, I'm not sure which "near bankrupt dinosaur manufacturer" you refer, but G.M. reported a $5.9 billion loss in the first quarter

GM posted a $6 billion dollar quarterly loss. Toyota just lost $7.7 billion for the quarter..ats allz i'm sayin'.

Now, I know GM took bailout money but I am not clear how that factors in. Is the $6 billion quarterly loss for GM really $19.4 billion then?. If so, I didn't know that and stand corrected (and why is it not reported that way).

While on the subject...the banks that were on their death bed that recieved Fed funds then a couple of months later reported profits...was that the same thing?. Was the profits they showed nothing but the bailout money hitting the books?.

I don't know about the steel industry. I'm an economist, hence I tend to look at the economy more than individual businesses. That said, I'd look at world wide production and steel production and imports in the U.S. If that number starts going up that might be a good thing, assuming the leading indicator assumption is true.

Mark,

I believe that $4.4 billion is its annual losses not quarterly. This article indicates that Ford lost $14.8 billion annually and that is the better of the "Big Three". This article indicates GM lost $6 billion in the last quarter which fits nicely with PD Shaw's number.

The company's seventh-straight quarterly loss compared with a $3.3 billion net loss a year earlier and added to $82 billion in cumulative annual losses since 2004.--Link

Toyota is doing quite well, comparatively speaking.

I'd be interested in your assessment of a related industry: steel, and its implications for current prospects. As a former participant in the industry I observe that steel is the ultimate GDP product, ( a leading indicator) and that current production is at an anemic level. A level that does not portend any meaningful economic pick up in the near term.

The stock market appeares to have gotten ahead of itself....

Good for them.