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
Category Archives: banking
Citi: Looking Weak
Never mind the Rubin news; that was all but a given. And the Bischoff news is not that much of a big deal either: the chap is the classic safe pair of hands who will be competent enough at managing … Continue reading
Posted in banking, defenestrations, stocks
Comments Off on Citi: Looking Weak
Chuck Prince Deathwatch: Keep an Eye on Medina-Mora
The WSJ is reporting that Citigroup is holding an emergency board meeting this weekend, and that Chuck Prince’s ouster might be on the agenda: It wasn’t clear precisely what the meeting would address, but the subject of further writedowns could … Continue reading
Posted in banking, defenestrations
Comments Off on Chuck Prince Deathwatch: Keep an Eye on Medina-Mora
Why Wall Street CEOs Get Paid So Much
Robert Reich thinks that Wall Street CEOs get paid more than their Main Street counterparts because they’re liars: There’s no reason to believe Wall Street executives have been smarter than executives in the real, non-financial economy. They’ve been paid more … Continue reading
Investment Banks: Much Room to Fall Further
Floyd Norris has a chart today which puts the recent share-price drops at Merrill, Citi, Bear and the like in context. Yes, they’re down from their highs, but the broker-dealers in general have massively outperformed the rest of the stock … Continue reading
Merrill: The Latest Victim of a WSJ Attack
There’s definitely a sensationalist edge to the WSJ these days. It’s banging the Jimmy Cayne drum for the second day running, with a story misleadingly headlined "CEO of Crisis-Hit Bear Denies He Used Marijuana": for one thing, the Bear Stearns … Continue reading
Jimmy Cayne Declares Victory Over WSJ
Cayne, on CNBC, via Dealbreaker: "It’s unbelievable. The phones are ringing off the hook, and everyone wants to play golf with me now." I’m glad it seems to have worked out this way. There are good reasons for a CEO … Continue reading
Posted in banking, defenestrations
Comments Off on Jimmy Cayne Declares Victory Over WSJ
Merrill’s Board: Asleep at the Wheel
With Stan O’Neal out the door, whither the board which supported all of his decisions? Peter Eavis has a good point today: Merrill Lynch’s board is arguably just as culpable for the firm’s atrocious results as the erstwhile CEO was. … Continue reading
Posted in banking
Comments Off on Merrill’s Board: Asleep at the Wheel
How Jimmy Cayne Can Survive the WSJ Attack
The WSJ is splashing Kate Kelly’s story about Jimmy Cayne’s part-time leadership of Bear Stearns this summer all over the front page of its newspaper and website. There’s a full spectrum of reactions, ranging from the hoped-for push towards Cayne’s … Continue reading
Posted in banking, defenestrations
Comments Off on How Jimmy Cayne Can Survive the WSJ Attack
Insider Trading at Goldman? Very Unlikely
Did people named Paulson have all the best information about the mortgage crisis this summer? The Paulson Credit Opportunities fund was up 410% as of the end of August (that’s John Paulson), while now the SEC is reportedly investigating possible … Continue reading
Posted in banking
Comments Off on Insider Trading at Goldman? Very Unlikely
Finding a New Merrill CEO
As John Carney notes, it’s a little bit weird that Merrill Lynch is now headless – and just as the all-important bonus decisions are being made, too. Why no interim CEO? Carney speculates that no one is willing to do … Continue reading
Posted in banking
Comments Off on Finding a New Merrill CEO
Wall Street Bonus Update
As someone who’s personally invested in this year’s Wall Street bonus pool – I have a bottle of Scotch on the line – I was quite happy to turn to page B5A of this morning’s WSJ. (Please, Mr Murdoch, can … Continue reading
Northern Rock: The Bidding Heats Up
If Chris Flowers thought he was going to have little competition in his quest to buy Northern Rock, he’s been comprehensively disabused of that notion at this point. The Virgin bid might sound a bit lightweight (a rebranding to Virgin … Continue reading
Posted in banking, private equity
Comments Off on Northern Rock: The Bidding Heats Up
Merrill: Your Questions Answered
A very loyal reader writes: Why did O’Neal defenestrate while Cayne at Bear and Prince at Citi have managed to hang on to their jobs? Is a takeover of Merrill realistic, considering the handicaps of the few firms big enough … Continue reading
Posted in banking
Comments Off on Merrill: Your Questions Answered
Who Will Rescue Merrill?
Peter Eavis joins the Tim Price/Lily Tomlin school of investment-banking analysis: It doesn’t look good that O’Neal was allegedly raising the possibility of a sale at a time when the brokerage was about to report over $8.3 billion of losses … Continue reading
Posted in banking
Comments Off on Who Will Rescue Merrill?
Merrill’s Board Turns on O’Neal
Who told the NYT’s Jenny Anderson about Stan O’Neal’s abortive attempt to float a merger with Wachovia? She sources her scoop to "people close to the beleaguered Wall Street firm," which is not very helpful, but it seems clear that … Continue reading
Posted in banking, defenestrations
Comments Off on Merrill’s Board Turns on O’Neal
The Globalization of Goldman Sachs
The New York Post tells us today that 57% of Goldman Sachs’s 299 new managing directors work outside the US. But how does that compare to the present cohort? I asked Goldman if they could give me the goegraphical breakdown … Continue reading
Posted in banking
Comments Off on The Globalization of Goldman Sachs
Solly, 1987: Hero or Villain?
Traders never pay much attention to strategists, and are generally much the richer for it.
Continue reading
Posted in banking
Comments Off on Solly, 1987: Hero or Villain?
Lily Tomlin, Market Strategist
Tim Price sums up the state of contemporary investment banking in two quotes: “I’ve had all the fun I can stand in investment banking” – Ken Lewis, (current) chief executive, Bank of America. “Things are going to get a lot … Continue reading
Posted in banking
Comments Off on Lily Tomlin, Market Strategist
The End of the Merrill Myth
There is absolutely no silver lining to the $8.4 billion in writedowns that Merrill Lynch announced today. Merrill is being hit from all sides: sell-side analysts, on the conference call; journalists; ratings agencies; and, of course, the stock market. Dana … Continue reading
The Irony of Matt Ridley
So it turns out that the Matt Ridley who writes popular bestsellers on genomics is the same Matt Ridley who was chairman of Northern Rock until last Friday. He also was a columnist for the Londont Telegraph, where he used … Continue reading
Posted in banking, economics, regulation
Comments Off on The Irony of Matt Ridley
Watching SIVs’ Assets Decline
Sam Jones has a fascinating chart showing the evolution of SIVs’ net asset values over the past three months. The best SIVs are doing fine, no problem there at all. The worst are doing atrociously: "Axon Financial, managed by TPC-Axon … Continue reading
Posted in banking, bonds and loans
Comments Off on Watching SIVs’ Assets Decline
The Citic Flip-Flop
On Friday, things seemed clear enough, with Citic issuing a clear denial that it would take an ownership stake in Bear Stearns. China Citic Bank, meanwhile, also denied that it was in talks to buy a stake in Bear Stearns. … Continue reading
How the Rich get Richer, Epicurean Edition
Why does Goldman Sachs always top the M&A league tables, when other banks’ ideas are just as good? Why is Jessica (Mrs Jerry) Seinfeld’s new book suffering from too much demand, when an almost identical book by Missy Chase Lapine … Continue reading
Goldman Simpson?
In the world of M&A, you need a financial adviser (an investment bank) and you need a legal adviser (a law firm). Legal advisers make lots of money. Financial advisors make much, much more – despite the fact that senior … Continue reading
Bank of America: Not Glamorous
Bank of America CEO Ken Lewis seems to have finally woken up to the fact that he is not, and never will be, an investment banker: Lewis said during a conference call that the company plans to scale back its … Continue reading
Posted in architecture, banking
Comments Off on Bank of America: Not Glamorous