Category Archives: Uncategorized

Most veterans speak highly of furloughs…

…except that the furloughs now in the news are of a different kind. In this case, federal employees will be put on unpaid leave of varying lengths because of the “sequester.” The long run-up to the sequester began during the … Continue reading

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Not far enough

The International Organization of Securities Commissioners (IOSCO) published a report this week calling for the London interbank offered rate (Libor) and other such benchmark interest rates to be tied more closely to actual transactions. Sadly, the proposal does not go … Continue reading

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Good news

I have been named a 2013 Fellow of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.  During the tenure of the fellowship, I will conduct research on the evolution of banking regulation across countries and US states during the last 200 years.  … Continue reading

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Greece is downgrading itself

On December 19 Standard and Poor’s raised its rating of Greek sovereign debt by six notches, to B-minus from selective default. The government’s decision to prosecute a statistician indicates that the upgrade was premature. According to S&P, the ratings change … Continue reading

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Talking about the mortgage settlement and Basel Accords

…with Chuck Coppoloa on First Business TV.

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The Wheatley report on Libor

See my reaction to the Wheatley Report at Law360.com.

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Consumers and the Future of Libor

Follow this link for an interview with Greg Field at NerdWallet.com.

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Three cheers for the IMF, the EU, and the ratings agencies!!!

Hungary’s new constitution came into force on January 1.  This was not good news. Engineered by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party, the new constitution has a number of unsavory elements. The Constitutional Court, which serves as a check on … Continue reading

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Glenn Hubbard ignores some inconvenient facts

Writing in today’s Wall Street Journal about how to reduce government spending, Columbia University economist and former chairman of George W. Bush’s Council of Economic Advisors R. Glenn Hubbard chooses to disregard some important facts. According to Hubbard, “President Obama’s … Continue reading

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Great minds think alike

Apparently, the Economist agrees with my emphasis on the rise of technocracy.

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