Government & Agencies

Hedge funds accused of collusion

22 Jan 2003

The latest swipe at hedge funds that they act in concert to drive down stock prices looks like a long shot. Collusion is a dirty word, but it is not always abusive.

Pressure grows on Big 4 accountants to break-up

27 Dec 2002

Their consultancy arms have already been largely hivedoff. Now the SEC may force them to separate certain tax services too. The industry hates the idea. Yet, as structured, it still faces huge potential conflicts of interest similar to investment banks.

Wall Street finally reaches $1bn settlement

20 Dec 2002

With this, the research business model changes dramatically. The full burden of cost will fall firmly on equity departments. And this will likely herald a sweeping reduction in the size of research departments and the amount produced.

Wall Street finally reaches $1bn settlement

20 Dec 2002

A bigger EU, bigger problems for Germany

16 Dec 2002

In the long run, a home market of getting on for 500 million people must be good news for Europe's largest economy. But enlargement comes at just the wrong moment for a Germany teetering on the brink of deflation and fiscally overburdened.

A bigger EU, bigger problems for Germany

16 Dec 2002

City regulator packs it in

13 Dec 2002

Baulked of the Bank of England governorship, and under fire for the FSA's dropped catches, Howard Davies is heading for academia. So ends a stellar career. Another management consultant has been beaten by actually having to manage something.

City regulator packs it in

13 Dec 2002

SEC nominee is a poacher

11 Dec 2002

But can he turn gamekeeper? That's the question investors are asking as William Donaldson is chosen to head the US financial watchdog. If he can use his Wall Street credentials in Joe Kennedylike fashion, Donaldson may restore credibility to the SEC.

SEC nominee is a poacher

11 Dec 2002

Bush picks new Treasury, economics chiefs

9 Dec 2002

The arrival of John Snow at the Treasury and Stephen Friedman as adviser is sure to accelerate a plan to revive economic growth. It's almost inevitable that this plan's ingredients will include a shift towards a weaker dollar, exportled growth and imported inflation.

Bigger budget deficits are bad news for bonds

9 Dec 2002

Bush picks new Treasury, economics chiefs

9 Dec 2002

Paul O’Neill resigns from US Treasury

6 Dec 2002

About time, too. His term was marked by gaffes and the administration's inconsistent economic policies. But now that Bush has no SEC or Treasury chief, he has nobody to blame for the economy's performance.

Paul O’Neill resigns from US Treasury

6 Dec 2002

The Euro issue should be buried for good so Britain can stick to its first post-war economic policy that works.

4 Dec 2002

How much might a war on Iraq cost?

27 Nov 2002

There has been much debate about the possible political consequences of a war on Iraq, but little about the economic costs. That does not mean it s not worth trying. Here is a gruesome sumoftheparts of what war in Iraq might cost the US.

How much might a war on Iraq cost?

27 Nov 2002

UK’s public finances slip further into the red

25 Nov 2002

Chancellor Gordon Brown's fiscal rules allow less growth to mean more borrowing unlike the Eurozone s discredited stability pact. But Britain's economy isn't doing particularly badly. Brown's policy isn't being stresstested yet.

UK’s public finances slip further into the red

25 Nov 2002