Category: Policy
16 February, 2010 (13:07) | Bernanke, Capital markets, Federal Reserve, Housing, Inflation, Policy, US News | No comments
By: David A. Smith
It’ll go down in the box score as a line drive, baseball announcers chortle when a seeing-eye dribbler finds the hole between shortstop and third – as if claiming a base that way is somehow unmanly.
Doesn’t look unmanly to me
Yet newly reconfirmed Chairman Ben Bernanke knows, as I wonder how many [...]
23 December, 2009 (12:32) | Capital markets, Euro, Finance, Global news, Greece, Policy | No comments
By: David A. Smith
[Continued from yesterday's Part 1.]
Yesterday we learned that the capital markets, by raising the cost of Greek bonds to sky-high levels, have sounded the klaxon and warned that the fiscal ship has been holed below the waterline.
We’ve taken some damage
As reported on December 15 in the Wall Street Journal, the damage has [...]
22 December, 2009 (13:14) | Capital markets, Euro, Finance, Global news, Greece, Policy | No comments
By: David A. Smith
Even as the capital markets are breathing a huge sigh of relief over Abu Dhabi’s mature decision to avert an immediate Dubai default, a more serious problem looms in Euroland, one that cannot be cured so simply by having the rich uncle write the check.
Who’d imagine that could sink the [...]
4 November, 2009 (16:05) | Capital markets, Finance, Policy, Regulation, TARP, US News | No comments
[Continued from yesterday's Part 1.]
Yesterday we had brave words and sound logic from Kenneth Feinberg, Treasury’s ’special master for compensation,’ who as quoted in the Wall Street Journal (quotes in blue Times Roman), hopes his new standards “will be voluntarily picked up” throughout corporate America.
You’ll pick it up if you know what’s good for you
He [...]
3 November, 2009 (12:22) | Capital markets, Finance, Policy, Regulation, TARP, US News | No comments
When we catch someone saying one thing and doing another, the juxtaposition is too much fun to resist – as in this case where the government, with full righteousness, said one thing only weeks after having done the exact opposite.
The huge banking institution is giving their new CFO compensation worth as much as $5.5 million. [...]