Views on the integrity of global capital markets
Between British economist Sir John Vickers and former Federal Reserve Chair Paul Volcker, few people are more synonymous with the current debate over structural reforms of banks and reining in systemic risk. How do their approaches to reform differ? Read more
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Mary Jo White’s potential conflicts in serving as our next SEC chairman are now dominating the nomination discussion, focusing specifically on the revolving door between public service and private practice. Read more
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The drama now playing out in the LIBOR-fixing scandal appears to catching stride. I ran across an excellent New York Times DealBook post recapping the state of play and what large banks, I think sixteen in total, are likely to encounter in the weeks and months ahead as the grip of regulatory reckoning fully takes hold. Read more
1 Comment With the Dow flirting with 14,000, some say the big gains for 2013 may already be in unless Main Street investors are set to join the party. Which brings us to the all-consuming question: What can investors expect in 2013? Read more
Leave a Comment It is common knowledge that many opinion polls rate the financial services industry very low on the scale of trust and integrity. Theories abound on why that is. Read more
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One of the perpetual ethics issues facing the finance industry is the general theme of mis-selling of financial products. CFA Institute has been tracking the issue in annual polls and commenting on possible fixes for years. The sad truth is many financial professionals may not even know they are doing it. This is your year-end reminder to tune up your act. Read more
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Looked at through the lens of action cinema, there is almost enough intrigue and drama in the last four years of SEC oversight to launch a new movie series. Never before in our history has this agency, so critical to markets and investor protection, been as tested to its limits as it has since 2008. Read more
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Finance industry pundits are buzzing about the notion that an Obama win means a full-court press on the financial services industry. By our reckoning, we are struggling to see that outcome — the idea of some massive shift in either the pace of implementation or the rigor of Dodd-Frank rules in general. In the view of this Fearless Fiduciary, it feels more like “Dud Frank,” but perhaps there is hope.
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Are private investment funds playing trick or treat with their fiduciary obligations and are institutional fiduciaries (your pension fund, for example) letting them get away with it? The answers are potentially frightening. Read more
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