Citigroup Inc's. (NYSE:C) stock is down nearly 5% in late-afternoon trading Monday in reaction to the announcement that the bank will repay the Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP, $20 billion, but analysts say the news is good over the long term. As the Wall Street Journal put it, "Once the knee-jerk selling and the taxpayer is out of the way, Citi will be free to become a fat cat once again, and that should be good for the stock over the medium to long term." Repaying TARP is a sign of " financial strength and management strength" for any bank, said Chip MacDonald, partner, Jones Day, in a video interview with The Deal shot on Monday at the NYSE Euronext. Subscribers to The Deal Pipeline may read more on Citigroup's TARP repayment plan here. -- Mary Kathleen Flynn
