How the financial system fell apart

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Description:  PIMCO CEO Mohamed El-Erian explains how collapse of Lehman Brothers destroyed confidence in the economy. Source: CNNMoney – video report   Date: 12/10/2009 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/fortune/2009/12/08/f_cs_pimco_food.fortune/ Questions for discussion:  Summarize the reasons given for the financial crisis. Do you believe the fear expressed by El-Erian was experienced by everyone? Explain your answer. How do you… Read more »

Pay czar issues salary caps for execs

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Description: Kenneth Feinberg limits pay to 500,000 for hundreds of employees at AIG, General Motors, Citigroup and GMAC. Source: CNNMoney.com Date: 12/11/2009 Link:  http://money.cnn.com/2009/12/11/news/companies/feinberg_compensation/index.htm Questions for discussion: What are the arguments put forward that favour limiting the pay of executives at these firms? Do you agree with these arguments? What are possible consequences of this… Read more »

IPOVIEW-Faulty week does not signal end of IPO boom

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Description:  There is nothing wrong with the IPO market that a few quality companies could not cure. That is what analysts insisted after a week of disappointing offerings that seemed to deflate a budding recovery in the market. Source: Reuters.com Date: 12/11/2009 Link: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN1126572920091212 Questions for discussion: Summarize the arguments given for the weak response… Read more »

Goldman Trades Shouldn’t Get U.S. Aid, Volcker Says

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Description: Goldman Sachs Group Inc., which took $10 billion in U.S. bailout funds last year, shouldn’t get taxpayer support if the firm focuses on trading over banking, according to former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker. Source: Bloomberg.com Date: 12/12/2009 Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=a.O8G_pyd5ZE Questions for discussion: Summarize the highlights of the story. How might this impact the… Read more »

Comcast’s big gamble with NBC

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Description:  Fortune’s Andy Serwer is skeptical that the proposed Comcast-NBCU deal will work better than previous media mergers. Source: CNNMoney – video report   Date: 12/02/2009 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/fortune/2009/12/02/f_sl_nbc_comcast.fortune/ Questions for discussion:  Summarize the reasons given for the acquisition of NBC by Comcast. Do you believe this was a good financial deal? Explain your answer.

Dubai not a canary but another miner needing oxygen

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Description: Taken all in all, Dubai’s debt crisis is the most significant financial development of 2007. Here in late 2009 it amounts to far less. Source: Reuters.com Date: 12/01/2009 Link:  http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN3058513220091201 Questions for discussion: Summarize the opinions presented in this article. Do you agree with these views? Explain your thinking.

European Banks Growing Bigger ‘Sowing the Seeds’ of Next Crisis

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Description: European banks are emerging from the credit crisis bigger than before, posing more risk to their national economies. Source: Bloomberg.com Date: 12/02/2009 Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aRDrzOAWRekc Questions for discussion: Summarize the arguments given for concern? Do you share those concerns? Explain your answer. Should the banks be regulated more? Explain your thinking.