Meta
Categories
- accounting
- Announcements
- architecture
- art
- auctions
- bailouts
- banking
- bankruptcy
- ben stein watch
- blogonomics
- bonds and loans
- charts
- china
- cities
- climate change
- commercial property
- commodities
- consumers
- consumption
- corporatespeak
- credit ratings
- crime
- Culture
- Davos 2008
- Davos 2009
- defenestrations
- demographics
- derivatives
- design
- development
- drugs
- Econoblog
- economics
- education
- emerging markets
- employment
- energy
- entitlements
- eschatology
- euro
- facial hair
- fashion
- Film
- Finance
- fiscal and monetary policy
- food
- foreign exchange
- fraud
- gambling
- geopolitics
- governance
- healthcare
- hedge funds
- holidays
- housing
- humor
- Humour
- iceland
- IMF
- immigration
- infrastructure
- insurance
- intellectual property
- investing
- journalism
- labor
- language
- law
- leadership
- leaks
- M&A
- Media
- milken 2008
- Not economics
- pay
- personal finance
- philanthropy
- pirates
- Politics
- Portfolio
- prediction markets
- private banking
- private equity
- privatization
- productivity
- publishing
- race
- rants
- regulation
- remainders
- research
- Restaurants
- Rhian in Antarctica
- risk
- satire
- science
- shareholder activism
- sovereign debt
- sports
- statistics
- stocks
- taxes
- technocrats
- technology
- trade
- travel
- Uncategorized
- water
- wealth
- world bank
Archives
- March 2023
- August 2022
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- October 2019
- September 2019
- August 2019
- July 2019
- June 2019
- May 2019
- April 2019
- March 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- November 2018
- October 2018
- September 2018
- August 2018
- July 2018
- June 2018
- May 2018
- April 2018
- March 2018
- February 2018
- January 2018
- December 2017
- November 2017
- October 2017
- September 2017
- August 2017
- July 2017
- June 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- December 2016
- November 2016
- October 2016
- September 2016
- August 2016
- July 2016
- June 2016
- May 2016
- April 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- December 2015
- November 2015
- October 2015
- September 2015
- August 2015
- July 2015
- June 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
- November 2014
- October 2014
- September 2014
- August 2014
- July 2014
- June 2014
- May 2014
- December 2012
- August 2012
- June 2012
- March 2012
- April 2011
- August 2010
- June 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- September 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
- January 2008
- December 2007
- November 2007
- October 2007
- September 2007
- August 2007
- July 2007
- June 2007
- May 2007
- April 2007
- March 2007
- February 2007
- January 2007
- December 2006
- November 2006
- October 2006
- September 2006
- August 2006
- July 2006
- June 2006
- May 2006
- April 2006
- March 2006
- February 2006
- January 2006
- December 2005
- November 2005
- October 2005
- September 2005
- August 2005
- July 2005
- June 2005
- May 2005
- April 2005
- March 2005
- February 2005
- January 2005
- December 2004
- November 2004
- October 2004
- September 2004
- August 2004
- July 2004
- June 2004
- May 2004
- April 2004
- March 2004
- February 2004
- January 2004
- December 2003
- November 2003
- October 2003
- September 2003
- August 2003
- July 2003
- June 2003
- May 2003
- April 2003
- March 2003
- February 2003
- January 2003
- December 2002
- November 2002
- October 2002
- September 2002
- August 2002
- July 2002
- June 2002
- May 2002
- March 2002
- February 2002
- January 2002
- December 2001
- November 2001
- October 2001
- September 2001
- August 2001
- July 2001
- June 2001
- May 2001
- April 2001
- March 2001
- February 2001
- January 2001
- December 2000
- September 2000
- July 2000
- March 2000
- July 1999
Author Archives: Felix
Why Did BP’s Browne Resign?
In the September issue of Portfolio, Mimi Swartz has the definitive
account of l’affaire John Browne.
Continue reading
Posted in defenestrations
Comments Off on Why Did BP’s Browne Resign?
Quant Fund Pain: Is The Worst Over?
There have been a lot of losses in quant-based hedge funds in recent days.
But the smart money, it seems, is
bullish:
Continue reading
Posted in hedge funds
Comments Off on Quant Fund Pain: Is The Worst Over?
Admit mistakes!
Clark Hoyt, the NYT’s Public Editor, has a proposal: How about requiring a personal letter of apology from the person responsible for an error to the person whose name is misspelled? I’m always a bit wary of proposing rules like … Continue reading
Posted in Not economics
Comments Off on Admit mistakes!
Counting Ads in the WSJ
How can the WSJ make itself more attractive to display advertisers?
Continue reading
Posted in Media, publishing
Comments Off on Counting Ads in the WSJ
How The Fed Can Avoid Cutting Interest Rates
I like the idea of the Fed cutting its discount rate – which is currently at 6.25% – rather than the Fed funds rate.
Continue reading
Posted in fiscal and monetary policy
Comments Off on How The Fed Can Avoid Cutting Interest Rates
Understanding Investments
Barry Ritholtz has words
of advice for young and old:
Continue reading
Posted in personal finance
Comments Off on Understanding Investments
When Volatility Strikes
We’re not on the brink of Armageddon.
Continue reading
Posted in banking, bonds and loans, hedge funds
Comments Off on When Volatility Strikes
Gmail limits now upgradable
O frabjous day! Gmail has finally allowed those of us bumping up against its storage limits to buy more. And about time too.
Posted in Not economics
Comments Off on Gmail limits now upgradable
Fed Announces It Will Do Its Job
Over the course of the Great Moderation, a lot of people forgot the difference
between the Fed funds target rate (that’s the number set at FOMC meetings) and
the actual Fed funds rate (the actual, real, interest rate). No one forgot about
that difference this morning, when the Fed funds rate was standing
at 6%.
Continue reading
Posted in fiscal and monetary policy
Comments Off on Fed Announces It Will Do Its Job
Profiting From Illiquidity
You need liquidity to profit from a liquidity event.
Continue reading
Posted in bonds and loans
Comments Off on Profiting From Illiquidity
Countrywide vs Barclays in the Stock Market
A quick update for those of you keeping track of shares in the finance industry.
Continue reading
The Commercial Paper Market Gets Perilous
The entire CP edificie – which is mind-bogglingly enormous – is predicated on CP issuers being able to roll over their debts
Continue reading
Posted in bonds and loans
Comments Off on The Commercial Paper Market Gets Perilous
Universal Uncripples Music, Cripples Music Retailing
I’m very happy that Universal is experimenting with uncrippling its music. But I do hope it doesn’t cripple online music retailing in doing so.
Continue reading
Posted in Media, technology
Comments Off on Universal Uncripples Music, Cripples Music Retailing
Counterfeiting Statistic of the Week
Olive oil for $82.60 a liter.
Continue reading
Posted in statistics
Comments Off on Counterfeiting Statistic of the Week
Is This a Liquidity Crisis or an Insolvency Crisis?
Telling the difference is always more of an art than a science. And from my point of view, a lot of what Roubini considers to be insolvency is reallly “just” a liquidity problem.
Continue reading
Posted in bonds and loans, economics
Comments Off on Is This a Liquidity Crisis or an Insolvency Crisis?
The Credit Crunch Reaches the Money Market
Investors in obscure asset-backed instruments knew, or should have known, that they were taking liquidity risk. But the interbank market and money-market funds are designed to be as liquid as possible.
Continue reading
Posted in bonds and loans
Comments Off on The Credit Crunch Reaches the Money Market
Abolish Mortgage-Interest Tax Deduction, But Not Now
Matt Cooper is 100% right, today, when he says that we should
abolish
the mortgage-interest tax deduction.
Continue reading
Posted in fiscal and monetary policy, housing, Politics
Comments Off on Abolish Mortgage-Interest Tax Deduction, But Not Now
In Defense of Credit Indices, Part 2
CDS indices aren’t
perfect. But they’re a darn sight better than the alternative, which is
nothing.
Continue reading
Posted in derivatives
Comments Off on In Defense of Credit Indices, Part 2
BNP Paribas Funds: A Non-Story With Big Consequences
Why all the fuss about these BNP
Paribas funds?
Continue reading
Posted in bonds and loans
Comments Off on BNP Paribas Funds: A Non-Story With Big Consequences
Print Bears vs TV Bulls
Brian Wesbury says there are too
many bears on the telly; Barry Ritholtz says there are
too
many bulls.
Continue reading
Posted in Media
Comments Off on Print Bears vs TV Bulls
When Is A Bailout Not A Bailout?
Dean Baker says
it’s bailout – of hedge-fund managers, no less. Tim Worstall
says
it’s a bailout, which raises all manner of moral-hazard issues. Joanna
Ossinger says
it’s a bailout. But it’s not.
Continue reading
Posted in housing
Comments Off on When Is A Bailout Not A Bailout?
Looking for a Risk-Constant Mutual Fund
The financial markets have outgrown their retail investors. When will those investors be given the tools to catch up?
Continue reading
Posted in personal finance
Comments Off on Looking for a Risk-Constant Mutual Fund
Bush and the Dollar
A weak dollar is neither a bad idea nor a good idea: it’s just a fact of life, imposed on the US by the international currency markets.
Continue reading
Posted in foreign exchange
Comments Off on Bush and the Dollar
Analyzing Bear Stearns’s Credit Portfolio
I find the bearish case more persuasive than the bullish.
Continue reading
Posted in banking
Comments Off on Analyzing Bear Stearns’s Credit Portfolio
Credit Market Datapoint of the Day
Serena Ng says that Bear Stearns paid
"a heavy price" when it issued $2.25 billion of five-year bonds
at 245bp over Treasuries on Monday.
Continue reading
Posted in banking, bonds and loans
Comments Off on Credit Market Datapoint of the Day