29 Nov 2011

Loan subsidies - abuse is difficult to police

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The problem with loan subsidy schemes as proposed in the UK is: Who will receive these preferential terms? Will it be based on the old sch...

What should be the right level of Margin?

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An article in today's Financial Times bemoans the shrinking level of collateral and gives the impression that this would be something t...
28 Nov 2011

Tobin Tax - another window tax?

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One could argue that the Financial Transaction Tax (aka Tobin Tax) is nothing to get excited about, there are taxes on air tickets, house pu...
24 Nov 2011

More stress tests for banks don't make sense

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writes Thomas Brown
22 Nov 2011

MF Global Bankruptcy torpedoes Futures Markets

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When Warren Buffett spoke of derivatives as 'weapons of mass destruction' not a few belittled him as old-fashioned. Now that the ful...
17 Nov 2011

UBS: Reduced Assets should be more than enough

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UBS will reduce the assets of the investment bank according to an investor presentation . Offering a full range of services as a broker doe...

Less Risk Control, more Common Sense and Trust

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We agree with Anthony Hilton ( Evening Standard , 16 Nov 2011) when he says that "we don't need yet more millions spent on risk con...

No amount of Bank Capital is ever enough in a Panic

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The European Banking Authority (EBA) will publish new information about the capital requirements of European Banks this Friday. But unless ...
16 Nov 2011

Derivative Risks - URGENT ACTION REQUIRED

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While we are not in the camp of those predicting a black swan event in the global market for OTC derivatives we would none-the-less urge reg...
12 Nov 2011

Never underestimate intelligence of Brussels bureaucrats

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When the Kommissar for Financial Affairs suggests that it should be possible to sue rating agencies for 'wrong' ratings he demonstra...