Paydays That Make Even Wall Streeters Blush

Investors, homeowners, banks head to court, but obstacles lie ahead

(NEWSER) - The troubles plaguing Countrywide and Bear Stearns’ hedge funds will move from the boardroom to the courtroom. Homeowners and banks are suing mortgage lenders, shareholders are suing funds, the SEC is investigating executives, and Congress may conduct hearings into credit agencies' practices. The current mess ensnares “an incredible range of parties,” one legal expert tells the Washington Post. More»

Quant fund eggheads screwed up just as badly as everyone else

(NEWSER) - The eggheads who run Wall Street's "quant funds," using complex algorithms to play the markets but neglecting the human element, screwed up as badly as everyone else during the Dow's recent dive. "They are very smart in front of a textbook but not smart enough to understand very elementary things in reality," one critic tells the Washington Post. More»

Wall Street's anxieties force Bear Stearns to make major changes

(NEWSER) - The securities firm Bear Stearns will oust its stocks and bonds trading chief, the WSJ reports, and soften its emphasis on short-term trades. The extraordinary moves come in the wake of Friday's market sell-off, partly triggered by investor concern about Bear Stearns after the collapse of two of its mortgage-bond funds. More»

(NEWSER) - Wall Street is dizzy after mixed signals threw traders into buy mode despite an abundance of bearish indicators today, making for one of the most volatile days in weeks. The Dow finished up 150.38 points at 13362.37, even after Asian markets plummeted across the board last night, a buyout for Bauch & Lomb failed, and a troubled Bear Stearns put another subprime-backed hedge fund on hold. More»

Matt Taibbi says bankers are still overpaid

(NEWSER) - Matt Taibbi was incredulous when he read a recent New York piece in which Wall Street denizens whined that Dodd-Frank was limiting their bonuses. "I watch what I spend," one banker lamented, "but my girlfriend likes to eat good food," which adds up fast. "Quelle horreur!" Taibbi quips in Rolling Stone , before shredding the argument. Actually, bank compensation is falling because of the European debt crisis. Bankers he knows are saying things like, "If the ECB doesn't come up with a Greek bailout package, I'm going to have to sell my children for dog food." And at some banks (like Goldman Sachs), bonuses are actually up relative to earnings. More»