Author Archives: Yves Smith

Bill Black: A “Jihadist” Against the Banks?

More proof that the Department of Justice is working for Big Finance: it tried to discredit Bill Black’s testimony by calling him a “jihadist”.

John Helmer: Australian Police, Dutch Prosecutors Break with Dutch Safety Board at First Coroner’s Court Inquest on MH17 Crash

Australian police and Dutch prosecutors do not agree with the Dutch safety board’s claim that they have proven that MH17 was brought down by a BUK missile.

Pensions & Investment Editorial Savages Trustees for Failing to Perform Fiduciary Duty Over Private Equity Fees

Pensions & investments, in an astonishingly outspoken editorial, excoriated fund trustees for failing to perform their fiduciary duty and called for sanctions.

Links 12/15/15

Ilargi: Marine Le Pen Will Reap What The EU Has Sown

Thanks to EU and Eurozone misrule, Le Pen is right when she says: “Nothing can stop us”.

We Won a Fight Against CalPERS Over Its Plan to Ignore Private Equity Risk

A Los Angeles Times headline recapping a board meeting Monday says it all: “CalPERS shelves controversial private equity policy.”

The Continuing Fight Over Fannie and Freddie, and the Real Problem of US Mortgages

How understanding the history of Fannie and Freddie, as well as how unnatural US mortgages are, helps explain why the fight over the future of the GSEs continues.

Partial Tally of Hidden Private Equity Fees: 6% of Equity Invested

A new study on private equity’s hidden charges is sure to fuel demands for more transparency.

Links 12/13/15

Debunking “The Big Short”: How Michael Lewis Turned the Real Villains of the Crisis into Heroes

How Michael Lewis’ The Big Short, whether for profit or by accident, has denied the public the truth about what really causes the crisis.

Ilargi: CON21

To halt the demise of the planet, you can’t rely on the same people who cause it.

Links 12/11/15