capital

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Another SE Asian Nation May Be Moving Its Capital

Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is considering such a switch to provide relief to overcrowded Bangkok

(Newser) - Bangkok is beset by a slew of issues tied to overcrowding, including pollution, traffic congestion, and even sea level rise. That's led Thailand's prime minister to consider a drastic solution: moving the capital elsewhere. The two options that seem the most feasible in Prayut Chan-o-cha's mind, per...

Egypt to Build Shiny New $66B Capital

Reported goal is to ease congestion in Cairo—but at least one critic has his doubts

(Newser) - Cairo has served as Egypt's capital for more than a millennium, but its long run may be ending: The Egyptian government announced plans Friday for a new capital right next door that would take seven years and $45 billion just for the first stage, the AP reports. Egypt's...

Amazon's Top Seller: a 685-Page Economics Book

Thomas Piketty addresses income inequality

(Newser) - Thomas Piketty's book Capital in the Twenty-First Century may not be a quick read, but it's flying off the (digital) shelves. What makes a 685-page book on economic history, translated from French, Amazon's bestseller ? Well, the reviews have been great; Paul Krugman calls it "truly...

Robots Are Taking Our Jobs
 Robots Are Taking Our Jobs 
Paul Krugman
Dec 10, 2012 1:03 PM CST

Robots Are Taking Our Jobs

Paul Krugman and the Financial Times discuss the impact of technology on labor

(Newser) - Corporate profits are soaring in the US, yet the economy is depressed. Why? Because capital is doing fine at the expense of labor, Paul Krugman observes in today's New York Times . Yes, that sounds like "an old-fashioned, almost Marxist sort of discussion," but it's the reality...

Distant Capitals = Corrupt States
 Distant Capitals  
 = Corrupt States 
study says
May 23, 2012 1:30 PM CDT

Distant Capitals = Corrupt States

Take that, James Madison

(Newser) - James Madison once said that capital cities ought to be removed from the busiest parts of the country, so they'd be isolated from powerful interests. Well, guess again, Jim. A new study has found that states with distant capitals are much more likely to have rotten governments, the LA ...

World's New Banking Rules Are 'Welcome Stuff'

Tough standards are more than lip service

(Newser) - The new rules for the world's banking industry emerging from Switzerland today have some real bite to them, writes Felix Salmon at his Reuters financial blog . In broad strokes, banks will be required to hold more capital in reserve to fend off another meltdown. Banks complain that the new standards—...

US, Europe Clash on Banking Reforms

G-20 agreement on capital requirements likely to remain elusive

(Newser) - The US and Europe are moving further apart on plans for post-financial crisis banking reform ahead of this week's G-20 summit, the Wall Street Journal reports. Both sides agree that banks should be required to keep more capital on hand to cushion them from crises, even at the cost of...

Geithner, Summers Outline New Regulatory System
Geithner, Summers Outline New Regulatory System
OPINION
Jun 15, 2009 8:33 AM CDT

Geithner, Summers Outline New Regulatory System

(Newser) - The current financial regulatory system “is riddled with gaps, weaknesses, and jurisdictional overlaps,” Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Obama economic guru Larry Summers write in today’s Washington Post. They outline, in broad strokes, their plan to fix it:
  • Capital and liquidity requirements will be raised across the
...

Fed to Release Stress Test Results Next Week

Data will show potential losses in specific loan categories

(Newser) - The US will learn the fiscal health of its 19 biggest banks Thursday, when the Federal Reserve and Treasury release the results of the “stress tests,” the Wall Street Journal reports. Delayed somewhat, the results will contain potential loss estimates in specific loan categories for each bank, and...

Fed Tells BofA, Citi to Raise Billions

(Newser) - Federal Reserve regulators are urging Bank of America and Citigroup to raise more capital, based on their preliminary stress test results, sources tell the Wall Street Journal. Sources familiar with Bank of America say the shortfall numbers in the billions. But both banks are protesting, with Bank of America expected...

We Need New Leadership, Now
 We Need New Leadership, Now 
OPINION
Nov 23, 2008 6:32 AM CST

We Need New Leadership, Now

Washington's following 'business as usual' amid crisis

(Newser) - Washington is carrying out “business as usual in the most unusual economic moment of our lifetimes,” writes Thomas Friedman in the New York Times. It’s time for our leaders to wake up to the enormity of the financial crisis, the real "weapon of mass destruction,"...

Morgan in Talks to Keep Critical Mitsubishi Money

Japanese bank seeks more favorable terms for $9B investment

(Newser) - Morgan Stanley scrambled today to keep an investment from a major Japanese bank as Wall Street held its breath, the New York Times reports. Japan’s Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group agreed last month to invest $9 billion, but wants better terms after Morgan's market value plunged last week. The talks...

Goldman Raises $10B After Buffett's Buy-in

New stock offering nets twice as much as bank expected

(Newser) - Where Warren Buffett goes, investors follow. Goldman’s new stock offering pulled in $5 billion this morning, twice the $2.5 billion the firm expected, as investors followed Buffett’s lead, Bloomberg reports. That extra money, combined with Buffett’s $5 billion investment, “should quickly end credit-market debate about...

Mitsubishi's $8.4B Will Buy Up to 20% of Morgan Stanley

Japanese firm reverses course, agrees to buy stake in Wall Street giant

(Newser) - Japan’s Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group has agreed to invest as much as $8.4 billion in Morgan Stanley, Bloomberg reports, in exchange for a stake of 10%-20% in the investment bank. The move by Mitsubishi—which last week said it planned to steer clear of investing in US banks—...

Industry Shakeout Clips Hedge Funds
Industry Shakeout
Clips Hedge Funds
Jun 17, 2008 3:22 AM CDT

Industry Shakeout Clips Hedge Funds

It's a fund-eat-fund world as companies mature, face crunch

(Newser) - A massive shakeout is transforming the world of hedge funds, the Wall Street Journal reports. Tougher market conditions mean smaller funds are merging or closing their doors, and new ones are facing difficulty getting started. The business, which mushroomed from a few hundred firms to 8,000 over a decade,...

Credit Agricole Hoping to Raise $9B

Battered by subprime losses

(Newser) - Subprime losses at Crédit Agricole’s Calyon investment bank are likely to prompt the French company to raise $9.17 billion in capital, reports the Wall Street Journal. A hit of $1.87 billion reduced its first quarter net profit to $1.38 billion from $1.82 billion the...

Merrill Deal Yields $6.2B in Capital

Bank sells discounted stock to investors, sells division to GE

(Newser) - With another quarter of massive writedowns looming, Merrill Lynch today announced a deal to raise up to $6.2 billion by selling discounted stock to two investors. Up to $5 billion will come from Temasek Holdings, Singapore's state-owned investment company. The other $1.2 billion comes from money managers Davis...

Consumer Financial Savvy Peaks at 53
Consumer Financial
Savvy Peaks at 53
Mar 22, 2007 11:57 AM CDT

Consumer Financial Savvy Peaks at 53

Data shows the age of 53 is sweet spot for financial savvy

(Newser) - Middle aged consumers make better decisions—and fewer mistakes—than their younger and older counterparts.  A study of  thousands of credit card and home and car loan documents shows that they are the most  likely to get the lowest interest rate available  and the least likely to pay unnecessary...

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