May
13
Financial Regulation Reform Explained
May 13, 2010 | Tagged hedge funds, investment banks, otc derivatives | Leave a Comment
In early May 2010, I was able to interview David Wright, Deputy Director of DG Internal Market and Services at the European Commission. At the time of writing, the United States and European Union are both very committed to reforming the regulation of financial services. They are Read more
May
13
We Need To Rethink Markets And Economics
May 13, 2010 | Tagged agriculture, macroeconomics | Leave a Comment
In March 2010, your author attended a Brussels based event related to agriculture. I know, relevance??? One of the panelists was Sir Crispin Tickell, a former adviser to Margaret Thatcher. He spoke in the broadest macro terms about the problems ‘we’ face. He speaks about town planning, Read more
May
13
Proposed Rules For Short Selling
May 13, 2010 | Tagged banking crisis, investment banks, short selling | Leave a Comment
At the end of April 2010, I was able to attend the European Financial Services Conference in Brussels. The event is mainly policy related and full of representatives of the big investment banks and insurance firms. Since there is new legislation being drafted - on both Read more
Oct
25
Book Review: The Return of Depression Economics by Paul Krugman
October 25, 2009 | Tagged banking crisis, depression, financial crisis, paul krugman, recession, the return of depression economics | Leave a Comment
Wow!! What a book! I really cannot recommend this highly enough. As someone that has read more than his fair share of books about economics, I can vouch that this book is incredibly readable. In fact, I would go so far as to say Read more
Aug
20
Book Review: In For A Penny by Peter Hargreaves
August 20, 2009 | Tagged hargreaves lansdown, in for a penny, peter hargreaves, unit trust | Leave a Comment
Peter Hargreaves is one of the founders of the incredibly successful Hargreaves Lansdown in the UK. HL started out selling unit trusts by direct mail to the general public and over time have also moved into investment trusts, stockbroking and some elements of the pension market. Needless Read more
Aug
19
Book Review: Binge Trading by Seth Freedman
August 19, 2009 | Tagged binge trading, insider trading, seth freedman, simon cawkwell, the city | Leave a Comment
Binge Trading by Seth Freedman is a look at the inner workings of ‘The City’ in London. The book is subtitled ‘The Real Inside Story Of Cash, Cocaine And Corruption In The City’, which I am sure offers a better idea as to what awaits inside. Seth Read more
Aug
19
Book Review: Fool’s Gold by Gillian Tett
August 19, 2009 | Tagged derivatives, fool's gold, gillian tett, investment banks, super senior | Leave a Comment
Your author has read several books about the causes of the 2008 banking crisis but Fool’s Gold by Gillian Tett explains things in by far the most detail. Tett is in the enviable position of writing a regular column for the Financial Times which means that she Read more
Jun
25
Book Reviews: The Zulu Principle and Beyond The Zulu Principle by Jim Slater
June 25, 2009 | Tagged beyond the zulu principle, growth investing, jim slater, the zulu principle, uk stock market | Leave a Comment
These are two books that can really help an agressive investor - especially if he or she is interested in smaller stock market companies. Jim Slater was something of a legend on the UK stock exchange as a builder of a massive conglomerate through major acquisitions. In Read more
May
10
Book Review: Winning The Loser’s Game by Charles D. Ellis
May 10, 2009 | Tagged Asset Allocation, charles d. ellis, investment goals, investment manager relationships, winning the loser's game | Leave a Comment
In terms of investing, this is a MUST READ book. There are issues raised that will be of help to both private and institutional investors that should make this book a priority for everyone. Charles D. Ellis looks at the world of investment in a highly logical Read more
May
1
Book Review: The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith
May 1, 2009 | Tagged adam smith, Book Reviews, Economics, the wealth of nations | Leave a Comment
This is one of the most important books in the English language! The Wealth of Nations was written in 1776 and is the basis of economics, but was also about business and finance more generally. It is a very instructive read, and well worth the effort. In Read more