Pensions and Other Things

May. 13, 2015 by

(I have to issue a geek alert at the beginning of this post. Many of the topics discussed below – pension accounting, Chinese demographics and UK electoral mathematics – have,

Greece (Again), American Sniper and Debt

Feb. 8, 2015 by

Greece: Lots of Losers and a Few Winners I have just finished reading an article that claims that some married women in Greece are turning to prostitution to make ends

Switzerland and China

Jan. 21, 2015 by

By now everyone knows that last Thursday the Swiss did what the orderly and predictable Swiss are never supposed to do: they shocked the world.  Or at least the financial

Financialization

Jan. 3, 2015 by

I lead a sad life in many ways.  Which explains why I was up at 6am on January 1 flipping through the Forbes 400 list of the wealthiest Americans looking

Countrywide Financial: The Gift that Keeps on Giving

Aug. 23, 2014 by

Another day, another multi-billion dollar settlement. Business as usual down in Charlotte, NC, home to Bank of America. I’ve lost track of all the settlements, but the New York Times

Jamie and the Whale

Mar. 30, 2013 by

You can’t keep a good man down. That is why I was so pleased to see the CEO of JP Morgan, Jamie Dimon (a.k.a., the “Tallest Midget in the Circus”),

Doping and Banking

Feb. 27, 2013 by

I have just finished reading The Secret Race, Inside the Hidden World of the Tour de France: Doping, Cover-Ups, and Winning at all Costs, by Tyler Hamilton and Daniel Coyle.

The Lady Doth Protest Too Much, Methinks

Oct. 22, 2012 by

As a former employee of Goldman Sachs, I sometimes receive e-mails addressed to the “Goldman Sachs Alumni Network”.  The latest one is entitled “Media Interest in Greg Smith’s Book” and

China (Part 1)

Sep. 19, 2012 by

“China was in a bubble and their bubble’s bursting”. That is not me talking, although I have been saying that for a long time.  That is Ray Dalio, founder of