Opening Bell: Small Government Anyone?

On mortgage/school loans, private sector helpless; IndyMac collapse a bad omen; Anheuser-Busch capitulates; etc.

By Ryan Chittum   Jul 14, 2008 at 08:55 AM

The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and Financial Times lead their front pages with the Treasury Department’s “rescue plan”... More

Fannie Mae Need Government Help

How much will that cost taxpayers?

By Ryan Chittum   Jul 11, 2008 at 02:00 PM

The big financial news this week is the sharply increased doubts about the stability of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac,... More

Opening Bell: Taxpayers, Get Ready…

Fannie & Freddie are coming your way; bad economy is boon for Wal-Mart; more lousy job stats; etc.

By Ryan Chittum   Jul 11, 2008 at 08:32 AM

The Wall Street Journal and New York Times lead their front pages with worsening news on mortgages giants Fannie Mae... More

Gramm’s Mentality

Top McCain adviser says “What recession?”

By Ryan Chittum   Jul 10, 2008 at 03:11 PM

John McCain’s top economic adviser Phil Gramm, who’s also a vice chairman of troubled Swiss bank UBS, has some not-so-compassionate... More

Opening Bell: Bailout Bound

Fannie and Freddie sink lower; America for sale; what did you do with YOUR stimulus check?; etc.

By Ryan Chittum   Jul 10, 2008 at 08:16 AM

The Wall Street Journal leads its front page with news that the government has done contingency planning for the possibility... More

The Grievance Culture At Fox News

NYT’s David Carr shines a light on its PR tricks

By Ryan Chittum   Jul 9, 2008 at 03:10 PM

Fox News people like to think other journalists don’t like them because of politics but maybe it’s because they act... More

Underwrite, Sayeth The Fed

By Ryan Chittum   Jul 9, 2008 at 12:22 PM

This paragraph from the WSJ’s Bernanke story today sums up concisely just how bad mortgage lending was during the bubble:... More

Opening Bell: The Return of Regulation

Big Ben wants more authority over the Street; more trouble for Credit Suisse; a run on IndyMac?; etc.

By Ryan Chittum   Jul 9, 2008 at 08:55 AM

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said he would extend the emergency-loan program created for Wall Street during the Bear Stearns... More

Forbes Lets ‘Er Rip

Hard-hitting piece says pension funds help cover up investment returns

By Ryan Chittum   Jul 8, 2008 at 01:20 PM

Forbes' cover story this week is a tough indictment of the private-equity real estate business—and the pension funds that supply... More

Opening Bell: Fannie and Freddie’s Grim Outlook

Shares nosedive as housing crisis deepens; IndyMac’s disintegration; WaPo’s new boss; etc.

By Ryan Chittum   Jul 8, 2008 at 08:38 AM

The mortgage crisis continued to deteriorate as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac shares tumbled more than 16 percent on fears... More

Good News (For Once) At The Journal

Two internal promotions are hopeful signs in the News Corporation era

By Ryan Chittum   Jul 7, 2008 at 03:14 PM

Say what you want about News Corporation’s takeover of The Wall Street Journal, and we have, and the ham-handed ouster/buyout... More

NYT’s Incomplete Bhopal Story

The paper raises questions it doesn’t answer

By Ryan Chittum   Jul 7, 2008 at 01:25 PM

The New York Times has an interesting page-one story today about the legacy of pollution at the Union Carbide plant... More

Rewrite To The Nth Power

By Ryan Chittum   Jul 7, 2008 at 12:42 PM

Calculated Risk makes a good catch on a MarketWatch rewrite of a rewrite of a German newspaper story reporting that... More

Opening Bell: GM In Reverse

WSJ says more layoffs for automaker; Bloomberg doubts stock touts; Oil to $200?; etc.

By Ryan Chittum   Jul 7, 2008 at 08:37 AM

General Motors is considering another round of layoffs of its white-collar workers, The Wall Street Journal reports on A1. The... More

Missing The Story On IndyMac

Ex-WSJ reporter on the mortgage lender’s bad deeds

By Ryan Chittum   Jul 3, 2008 at 03:59 PM

The Center for Responsible Lending, a borrowers’ advocate group, has an eye-opening report on IndyMac, the troubled California mortgage lender.... More

Skewering The “Green Issue”

The Onion gets it, at least

By Ryan Chittum   Jul 3, 2008 at 02:35 PM

The Onion works its customary magic in its newsstand edition this week with a special edition “All-Paper Salute to the... More

Burning the Mortgage?

Bloomberg says torchings of foreclosures are rising, with little evidence

By Ryan Chittum   Jul 3, 2008 at 12:47 PM

We’d like to smoke out a Bloomberg story saying home arson is “surging” as a result of the wave of... More

Opening Bell: Let ‘Em Fail

Paulson says bad banks should go; fugitive hedgie surrenders; LAT cuts; etc.

By Ryan Chittum   Jul 3, 2008 at 08:35 AM

Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson called for better regulatory tools to help prevent the failures of individual financial firms from threatening... More

The V-Word and Dick Grasso

By Ryan Chittum   Jul 2, 2008 at 03:58 PM

Was Dick Grasso’s win in court yesterday a personal “vindication” for him? That’s what The Wall Street Journal says in... More

Talkin’ About Credit-Default Swaps

Why being bearish on them means you’re likely bullish in general

By Ryan Chittum   Jul 2, 2008 at 03:15 PM

Now of course, we know all about credit-default swaps. And we know that you know all about credit-default swaps. I... More