Overview for wall-street

Wall Street Ties Won't Sink Romney

Some on the right are concerned that Obama would slam Romney as a denizen of Wall Street and that Romney's wealth would prove a hindrance in the general election. While some worries about Romney's business background are more the product of sympathy for other candidates than anything else, there …

Written by Fred Bauer on Wednesday December 21, 2011

Can My Generation Make More Zuckerbergs?

Galatea’ is a columnist writing about her experience looking for work after her recent downsizing. Previous entries in her series can be strong> read here

Written by Galatea on Thursday December 8, 2011

If I Do Say So Myself

Googling one's own name is sometimes called a "vanity search." In my case, the practice calls for another name, since I can assure you the results are generally 10-1 ungratifying to vanity. Call it defensive Googling. But this morning it did yield a positive result, unearthing a line I'd written in …

Written by David Frum on Friday October 14, 2011

Obama's Self-Destructive Optimism

A simple theory of why Obama didn't come out fighting in 2009: he expected an economic turnaround in four years. My co-bloggers John Sides and Josh Tucker responded yesterday to a recent newspaper article in which psychologist Drew Westen argues that Barack Obama made a mistake by making …

Written by Andrew Gelman on Monday August 8, 2011

Is it 1937 Again?

Ezra Klein asks a good question : Where will the recovery come from? The problem is that no one has an answer. And as one hopeful hypothesis after another is dashed, the markets are beginning to panic. It won’t come from the United States. Our recovery has slowed, and updates to the …

Written by David Frum on Thursday August 4, 2011

More Dividends Please

Bloomberg View notes that US corporations hold $2 trillion in cash. The site argues that corporate managers ought to be kicking the cash back out to shareholders. Instead: "Total dividends paid in the first quarter of 2011 fell from a year earlier. The average dividend yield on …

Written by David Frum on Friday July 22, 2011

Obama Gets Snubbed by Wall Street

Business leaders are being very thin-skinned about the president since he doesn't seem like them. They have better reasons not to support him. In the Clinton and Bush years, it often seemed that Wall Street and the super-rich were aligning themselves with the Democratic Party. Not any more . …

Written by David Frum on Friday June 17, 2011

HBO Takes on Wall Street

HBO's latest must-see, a film adaptation of "Too Big To Fail", takes us back to 2008 when the economic crisis we're still trying to escape from first shook Wall Street. In the spring of 2008, just as the wheels were starting to come off of Wall Street, HBO presented a movie about how the Bush era …

Written by Telly Davidson on Friday May 20, 2011

Obama's Next Target: Corporate Tax Loopholes

The Obama administration is moving forward with corporate tax reform proposals and, although it’s too early to judge, many of them look pretty good at first blush. The Obama administration is moving forward with corporate tax reform proposals and, although it’s too early to judge, many of …

Written by Eli Lehrer on Wednesday May 11, 2011

Markets Won't Indulge GOP Debt Threats

The GOP’s debt ceiling threat has been tried before and last time the markets were quick to shoot it down. The GOP’s debt ceiling threat has been tried before and last time the markets were quick to shoot it down. Way back in antediluvian times—about l995—a very successful investor and Soros …

Written by Steve Bell on Friday April 29, 2011

Washington Flirts with a Debt Disaster

On Monday, S&P sent a wake-up call to Washington reminding them to get their debt act together. Yet, at week’s end, it’s easy to wonder if anyone got the hint. Lunacy abounds in every field, though it seems to appear most prominently in Hollywood and Washington, D.C., where the media takes …

Written by Steve Bell on Friday April 22, 2011

GOP Won't Win Debt Blame Game

If the U.S. does experience a credit downgrade, the Republican party's reputation for economic competence will take a big hit in the eyes of voters. There may be less in Standard & Poor’s new negative outlook on US debt than meets the eye. There’s no actual downgrade of the US credit rating …

Written by Andrew Pavelyev on Wednesday April 20, 2011

Debt Downgrade: Are Voters Paying Attention?

Wall Street may have sent a stern warning over the debt, but voters and media still seem more concerned with political sideshows like Donald Trump. The past day or so I experienced that odd feeling that I might be existing in parallel but separate universes, a situation wherein two (or more) …

Written by Les Francis on Tuesday April 19, 2011

Wall Street's Wake-Up Call

Neither President Obama's deficit reduction plan speech nor Congress' response seem to have settled market fears about America's soaring debt. This morning Standard and Poor’s put its long-term rating on United States sovereign debt on negative outlook. The equity market, as I write, is off by …

Written by Steve Bell on Monday April 18, 2011

Debt Default Fears Hit Wall Street

Wall Street's reaction to S&P's downgrade of the outlook on U.S. debt should be a warning to Republicans not to use the debt ceiling as a political football. S&Ps recent downgrade of the outlook on American debt isn't surprising. But the market's rapid decline in its wake should be a warning …

Written by Eli Lehrer on Monday April 18, 2011

Budget Fight May Freak Out Markets

Global financial institutions are keeping a close eye on Washington. And even if there is a budget deal, the damage may already be done. Whether the federal government “closes down” for this weekend remains unknown at this time. But for the sake of discussion, let’s assume that Congress …

Written by Steve Bell on Friday April 8, 2011

TARP Profit Proves It Was the Right Call

There's a lot to indict in the recent financial management of the United States. TARP should not have been necessary. But it was, and the news of its $24 billion profit is the proof. Here's why TARP's $24 billion profit is so important: The profit confirms that what happened in October 2008 was …

Written by David Frum on Monday April 4, 2011

Wall Street Fights New Loan Risk Regs

Bankers are objecting to a new regulation that would require them to keep a percentage of loans on their own books. But don't expect anyone to buy their argument. Bankers object to a new regulation requiring them to keep a percentage of their loans on their books: "If we have to keep these loans …

Written by David Frum on Tuesday March 29, 2011

The GOP's (Quiet) Wall Street Reg Rollback

Republican efforts to fix Dodd-Frank are a model for dealing with Obamacare: instead of grandstanding, the GOP is offering real, practical reforms. Republicans’ efforts to change the Dodd-Frank financial reform legislation should offer the party a model for how it should deal with President …

Written by Eli Lehrer on Thursday March 17, 2011