Category Archives: Regulations and regulators

How Do Americans Get Rich? (And Stay Rich?)

A deep dive into the sources of rich Americans’ wealth.

Will Trump Take the Poisoned Chalice of Firing CFPB Director Richard Cordray?

Why firing Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Richard Cordray would probably turn out to be a win for Democrats.

Trump Selects Jay Clayton, S & C Partner, to Head SEC

Trump’s choice to head the SEC, prominent corporate lawyer Jay Clayton, is much more of a mainstream pick than many of his other appointments so far.

Don Quijones: Power & Profit Fuel War on Cash in Europe

Be warned: European officials have already starting taking tough moves in the war on cash.

Republicans Likely to Pass “Audit the Fed”

“Audit the Fed” is likely to become law. It’s about time.

How Taxpayers Subsidize AirBnB’s Cheap Prices

How you lose when AirBnB wins.

Can Uber Ever Deliver? Part Six: Latest Data Confirms Bleak P&L Performance While Stephen Levitt Makes Indefensible Consumer Welfare Claims

More on Uber’s questionable prospects and the dubious defenses offered by boosters, in this case, “Freakonomics” professor Stephen Levitt.

Chanos: Is a Big Change Underway in Global Capitalism?

Storied short seller Jim Chanos takes a long view of recent political and economic changes, including, of course, the Trump win.

Tom Engelhardt: The Future According to Trump

Gaming out some likely Trump scenarios.

Deutsche Bank Wins in Stare-Down With Department of Justice Over Mortgage-Backed Securities Liability; Credit Suisse Also Settles While Barclays Holds Out

Deutsche came off well in a mortgage settlement with the DoJ, while Barclay’s decision to fight doesn’t look so smart.

Italy Announces Sketchy Plan to Bail Out Monte dei Paschi

The Monte dei Paschi domino is finally about to fall. But what does that mean in practice?

Conflicts of Interest Not New to the Age of Trump: Many Politicians Voting for the TARP Bailout Protected Their Own Wealth

Conflicts of interest are not new to US politics; this paper shows how TARP votes tracked the stock portfolios of member of Congress.

Customers Foot Bill for Florida Utilities to Build ‘Unnecessary’ Gas Infrastructure For Excess Profit

Florida electricity customers will foot the bill to build natural gas infrastructure surplus to projected demand to benefit power company.

Italy Banking Crisis Is Also a Huge Crime Scene

While Italy’s banking crisis results from business loans gone dud in a shrinking economy, some of the banks were also up to no good.

The Fundamental Flaw in Muddied Brexit Thinking

Brexit negotiators seem clueless about how to get out of their own way. Here’s why.