Return of the Flash Crash

Did you see the 60 Minutes exposé on speed trading? I've embedded the video, which explains how high-frequency trading works. It sheds light on the May 6 flash crash—why the Dow dropped nearly 700 points in twenty minutes. It's only a matter of...

The Mulligans of Hedgistan

With the Dow trading over 10,700 again, the crisis of 2008 is growing long of tooth. Investors are growing short of memory. And many hedgies, who shuttered their funds due to performance, are making a comeback. Here's an example of what the The New York Times...

Beach Reading without Congressional Oversight

There's plenty to discuss from the headlines these days. But this summer I've been buried with edits to my next novel, The Gods of Greenwich. And I'm staring at a few deadlines now. With this post, however, I'd like to take you back to the summer...

Darth Goldman: The Enterprise Value Strikes Back

Yesterday, Goldman Sachs settled fraud charges associated with Abacus CDOs for $550 million. Not surprisingly, the settlement excluded Fabrice P. Tourre, who will no doubt be hung out to dry as the Tourre de Toxic winds to a close. Personally, I think the government...

Financial Reform and the Fungus Five

Recently, I described financial reform as a “petri dish” of pending legislation. The government is tackling too many issues at the same time. Without constants—we don’t know how markets will react to all the moving pieces. It gets worse. Last...