How do US tax payers feel about supporting the liquidity of Dutch insurer Aegon?    Read More

Would there be tears of joy or frowns of regret?  We had our chance to pitch a business idea to James Caan, founder of private equity group Hamilton Bradshaw and panelist from the "Dragons' Den" TV show in the UK.    Read More

So, goodbye to the showbiz couple Guy and Madonna. After eight years the couple is calling it a day. That glamorous marriage in a Scottish castle in 2000 seems such a long time ago.   Read More

Our liberal, equity-owning democracy has taken a major blow. With this precedent what incentive is there now for me to own another bank share?   Read More

They've worked hard, they've worked long and, through prudence, they've borne the additional cost of absorbing East Germany and being a founder member of the euro zone. And now the German worker has had enough.   Read More

Here's an e-mail doing the rounds of the financial community that gives an interesting perpsective on the latest market turmoil -- and where some might wish they had invested given a second change.   Read More

Europeans shouldn’t be sitting on the sidelines urging the Americans to come up with solutions. They should be rolling up their sleeves, spitting on their hands and pitching in to help.   Read More

Sell-off, close down or take into public ownership. These are the options facing Europe's financials. There is no comprehensive US style package for buying up toxic debt and no prospect so far that one will emerge over the horizon to re-liquefy balance sheets. Is that a good thing?    Read More

"The US government takeover of the GSEs......makes the US the most socialist system in the world, outside of places like North Korea and Cuba. It will have 75% of its current housing finance and the majority of its remaining capital allocation being financed with credit that is directly and indirectly the result of government and Fed intervention," according to Independent Strategy.   Read More

Remember Superman the movie, where Lex Luther takes away the super hero’s powers with a Kryptonite necklace? Well we’re here again. Only this time it is the financial equivalent of the man of steel – the hedge fund manager that has met their own version of the power-draining substance. Barely a day passes it seems without one of these masters of the universe crashing to earth with swinging losses in their fund, or non-survivable business issues.   Read More