financials

Banks are not the enemy. Although many imperfections exist in our financial system, turning banks into a target or a tool for recovery will end poorly. Over time, things will work out in the absence of counterproductive, even if well-intentioned, meddling.

The viability of President Obama's proposals on bank reform remains to be seen as they pass through Congress, but they send an undoubtedly sharp signal about what the next battle after health care will be. The principles are difficult to argue against, since the financial system has become...

Stocks rallied on the first trading day of the new year as manufacturing data at both home and abroad bolstered the case for the global economic recovery.

Retail investors may be forgiven if they view bank stocks with great skepticism. After all, the financial sector touched off the conflagration that ultimately became the Great Recession. But that doesn't mean there aren't some bargains in the banking sector, and noted bank analyst Dick Bove of...

The third quarter is now in the books and here's what we've learned about U.S. equities over the last three months: Riskier stocks are still hot, defensive names are not, and the so-called reflation trade is alive and well. Oh, and September isn't always the cruelest month for equities. The broad...

The financial crisis crystallized the realities of systemic risk -- the idea that in certain panic-stricken environments, no company reliant on functioning credit markets is safe, even if it is fundamentally sound on its own merits. No company may have been hurt more by guilt-by-association during...

August is known as a quiet month for the stock market, as many institutional investors and traders take advantage of the waning summer to go on vacation. Trading volume dries up, and some large price swings can be attributed to the lack of liquidity, but this news about the concentrated nature of...

Just as speculation about the health of the banking system in the U.S. seems to be quieting down, there's reason to believe that foreign banks -- particularly two Spanish institutions -- are about to go under the microscope, even as the pair snaps up assets in foreign countries. Banco Santander...

Step aside, John Paulson -- there's competition for reaping billions from bets on the financial sector, and it comes from Uncle Sam. The government, which owns 34 percent of Citigroup (C) following a conversion of preferred stock from the TARP and asset guarantee agreement, has booked an $11...

There has been a great deal of talk in the financial media of late about bank's loan values, which may be vastly overinflated due to flexibility offered by accounting rules. The SEC revealed that it sent a memo to a number of CFOs at banks, telling them, "Clear and transparent disclosure about how...