Beta Monster: The Most Dangerous Banks In the World

The most leveraged bank by far is the-investment-bank-which-must-not-be-named. It is followed by J.P. Morgan on a percentage basis, but JPM is far larger nominally than these charts indicate because of its much larger capital base. Its in the nature of the difference between a cardshark (GS) and a pawnshop (JPM). Or perhaps just the capital requirements of the short versus the long con.

Luckily for the US financial system the big banks are incapable of making errors in risk management, and always seem to get by with a little helpful information from their friends, and a lot of money from the public.

We would ask Timmy for an explanation on how this could happen so soon after a crisis in which the Treasury had to ask Congress to stop financial armageddon overnight because of the perils of excessive leverage on dodgy capital, but he is taking dictation from Lloyd on line 1, and Jamie is on hold on line 2.

Mutual Funds Are at Cash Levels Not Seen Since the 2007 Market Top

Trend following beta monkeys (TFBM) using Other People's Money (OPM).

They'll never learn.

Because they don't care after they have collected their fees and bonuses.

Herd behaviour does not begin to describe this phenomenon.

The US financial system is designed to maximize financial management returns and encourage the mispricing of risk, and ultimately the distribution of wealth from the many to the few through fraud, fiduciary recklessness, and Ponzi schemes.

The root cause of the US's problems are with the distorted monetary policies of the Federal Reserve, and the regulatory failure of a government corrupted by its financial sector.

Obama Wins the Nobel Peace Prize

Is the award taxable?

Not if his Treasury Secretary does his tax returns.

Its not the most undeserved award ever granted. After all, Henry Kissinger also received the Nobel Peace Prize. And Schicklgruber was Time's Man of the Year in 1939.

What has he done? What has Obama actually done?

What has Obama actually done to merit the Nobel Peace Prize this early in his administration? Besides talking.

Well he did pay the US' tab at the UN. But other than that, he has done nothing to merit this award, except for talking a good game. And so, he cheapens it.