In the midst of my current four-part history of the US markets, we all probably noticed the VIX gaining

Market History  I’ve been wandering through University towns in France. It’s summer, the south, and very few students meandering about.

Retail Bonds and Private Equity. Imagine an old black and white film with obvious good guys and bad guys, you

Top Managers See Market Risk Ahead Each of us have our all-star lists, from baseball players to novelists to artists.

The looming debt ceiling and current political gridlock (and White House tragic comedies) has me thinking less about politics and

The Netflix Cheerleaders Jumping Out of Their Skirts Analysts and sell-side peddlers are raving about the recent Q2 report from

The Federal Reserve: A Not So Noble History The Fed just fascinates me. From its current market rigging to its

 Tough Questions Clients and investors are increasingly asking the same sensible questions: how do global central banks work? The ECB?

 Feeling Crazy? Today’s broken markets consist of “healthy” commercial banks, a delusional central bank, a disruptive US President, a fractured

An Honest Banker. As we head into July and more calm before the Fed-induced market storm, I’ve got to give