Deja or jamais vu?

Prince Alwaleed bin Talal hopes it’s the former after he boosted his Citigroup stake to 5% on Thursday. Remember that back in 1991 the Prince pulled a similar coup with the firm’s predecessor, one of many shrewd plays that helped him rise to 19th on Forbes’ billionaire list–one way to stand out from the other 2,000 or so Saudi princes. For the time being, however, things look bleak for Citigroup. The announcement failed to halt the stock’s slide, and shares slumped just over 26 percent to close at $4.71 in New York trading.