“Rock-Jawed Titans of Industry Don’t Really Like Free Markets”

As Kevin Drum says, they prefer monopolies like the ones Visa and MasterCard enjoy

By Ryan Chittum   Jun 21, 2010 at 07:11 PM

Kevin Drum, in dismissing Matt Ygeslias's qualms about over-regulating the credit and debit card industry, touches on an excellent point... More

WSJ: BP Fund Between a “Shake Down” and a “Capitulation”

By Ryan Chittum   Jun 21, 2010 at 11:55 AM

Every once in a while (which is far too often, needless to say) the distinct stench of Rupert Murdoch wafts... More

Audit Notes: Energy Economy, Fraud Fight, Worst Banking Crisis

By Ryan Chittum   Jun 18, 2010 at 04:34 PM

The Washington Post's Ezra Klein posts a fascinating graphic from the showing where our energy comes from and how it... More

The Economist Off the Deep End on BP and “Vladimir Obama”

By Ryan Chittum   Jun 18, 2010 at 01:28 PM

The Economist has a pathetic leader this week criticizing Obama for hammering BP and raising the ridiculous idea that his... More

Audit Notes: Mortgage Charges, BP Testimony, FT.com Ad Revenue

By Ryan Chittum   Jun 17, 2010 at 09:57 PM

The Washington Post calls the charges against Lee Farkas "to date the biggest criminal case related to the crisis that... More

WaPo Flags Obama Inaction on Wall Street Crime

By Ryan Chittum   Jun 17, 2010 at 06:42 PM

It doesn't inspire confidence in the Washington Post that it fails to mention the blockbuster SEC fraud charges against Goldman... More

Beleaguered Pensioners

It’s a good thing that BP investors are taking it on the chin

By Ryan Chittum   Jun 17, 2010 at 02:14 PM

Atrios says: I really can't believe how fast the "you can't hurt BP! If you do, you're just hurting poor... More

WSJ Comes Up Short on BP Boycott Effects

By Ryan Chittum   Jun 16, 2010 at 06:01 PM

The Wall Street Journal dodders onto the boycott-BP story, writing that not visiting BP service stations won't hurt BP much... More

The FT Makes a Mess of Its Goldman Subprime Story

The perils of limiting stories to 500 words are well illustrated here

By Ryan Chittum   Jun 16, 2010 at 12:41 PM

This Financial Times story is frustrating. On the one hand, the paper is great to zero in on Goldman Sachs's... More

Audit Notes: Volcker Pans Geithner, BP Bust, Single-Scoop Recession

By Ryan Chittum   Jun 15, 2010 at 04:27 PM

Obama administration advisor Paul Volcker says the Obama administration's resolution authority won't work to unwind too big to fail banks... More

Lazarus Gets the Interchange Issue Right

By Ryan Chittum   Jun 15, 2010 at 01:06 PM

David Lazarus of the Los Angeles Times takes a nice, nuanced look at interchange fees, which is the cut the... More

Congress Confirms WSJ’s Story on BP’s Corner-Cutting

By Ryan Chittum   Jun 15, 2010 at 11:38 AM

The evidence keeps stacking up that BP cut all kinds of corners to save time and money at the expense... More

Audit Notes: Wall Street’s Predators, Tate on Apple, Dow “10,000”

By Ryan Chittum   Jun 14, 2010 at 06:47 PM

Speaking of the poverty business, journalist Gary Rivlin has a good piece at The Huffington Post listing all the Wall... More

WSJ: Lever Up Your Portfolio!

All the “to be sures” in the world aren’t enough to save this one

By Ryan Chittum   Jun 14, 2010 at 12:14 PM

The Wall Street Journal ought to know better than to write a big article about why "There Has Never Been... More

Audit Notes: Mortgage Fraud, Deflation Threat, Starkman Win

By Ryan Chittum   Jun 11, 2010 at 06:27 PM

The Financial Times reports that the FBI is preparing to drop the hammer on the mortgage fraudsters: The FBI is... More

Apple’s Controlling Instincts Censor Ulysses All Over Again

By Ryan Chittum   Jun 11, 2010 at 05:05 PM

Apple continues to run amok censoring iPad/iPhone apps, now forcing changes to a graphic novel version of James Joyce's Ulysses.... More

Mixed Effort From Bloomberg on a Hedge Fund Tycoon’s Taxes

By Ryan Chittum   Jun 11, 2010 at 01:50 PM

Bloomberg is good to examine how hedge-fund kingpin Eddie Lampert, No. 316 on Forbes richest in the world list, may... More

Audit Notes: TBTF, Billionaire’s Free Pass(ing), Poverty Profiteers in Paris

By Ryan Chittum   Jun 10, 2010 at 06:01 PM

The Journal's David Wessel looks at the divide over what to do about too big to fail. Even mainstream economists... More

Goldman Seizes Some of the Spotlight Back from BP

By Ryan Chittum   Jun 10, 2010 at 12:04 PM

Goldman Sachs must have been enjoying its month-long respite from Most Despised Capitalist status. That crown rests quite easily on... More

Audit Notes: A WSJ Winner, BPA in Canned Goods, AIG

By Ryan Chittum   Jun 9, 2010 at 05:52 PM

Wouldn't it be ironic if Rupert Murdoch and Robert Thomson watered down the Journal's print Pulitzer-winning prowess but got the... More