On Wall Street, Membership Has Its Privileges - Just Ask Deutsche Bank -05/17/10 at 9:37 AM CDTby Judd Bagley

One of the great episodes of The Simpsons follows Homer as he comes to realize that not all Springfield citizens are treated equally. The difference, Homer eventually discovers, is membership in a secret society known as the Stonecutters. Once on the inside, Homer is delighted to find his new affiliation subjects him to an enviable set of alternate rules....

John Paulson's "Greatest Trade Ever" - Something of a Scam -01/20/10 at 10:34 PM CSTby Mark Mitchell

By now, everybody knows that the market for collateralized debt obligations was riddled with fraud in the lead-up to the financial crisis. What is less known is the fact that hedge fund managers helped create and inflate the market for these toxic securities specifically so that they could bet against them and profit from the inevitable collapse. An examp...

Conservative Political Movement Pushing Gold, Pushing Down Dollar (UDN) -10/06/09 at 3:41 AM CDTby Reggie Abaca

There is a financial reality that goes well beyond partisan politics.  It's one of those rare occasions where financial professionals ought to pay close attention to the political world.  Half of this country call themselves conservatives, and conservatives are spreading a message to one another - the dollar will become worthless - a positive fo...

SEC Enforcement Director Robert Khuzami Jokes About Causing The Marke... -08/09/09 at 12:11 PM CDTby Perry Rod

In a speech for the New York State Bar, Securities and Exchange Commission Enforcement Director Robert Khuzami made a joke that for some might be more telling that it is funny.  He stated: "I'm pretty proud of my own 100-day accomplishments. So how have things changed? Before I joined the Division in March, the Dow was struggling around 6500 points....