
Does Rajaratnam Conviction Level The Playing Field?
How much does insider trading cost average investors? Not enough to make a difference in where they put their money.

CARVIEW |
How much does insider trading cost average investors? Not enough to make a difference in where they put their money.
Media are reporting this morning that the Treasury has decided to hold off on selling any of its remaining 500 million shares of GM stock until at least July. The administration had hoped to divest as soon as possible after May 22, but GM’s stock price hasn’t been cooperating. read »
A tame inflation report helped the dollar recoup overnight losses heading into the data although it remains weaker on the day while higher on the week. The past several sessions have highlighted to investors a couple of key facts. First, surging commodity prices are firmly behind rising consumer and producer prices. Authorities nevertheless have limited control over ‘free markets’ to contain price increases. Second, demand is showing signs of weakening on several fronts in response to rising costs.[...] read »
Corporate bond buying tapered off this week to some extent despite a slide towards the lowest yields for government bonds so far this year. Spreads appear to be widening above treasuries with some reluctance amongst buyers to follow orders in typical Pavlovian fashion. New issuance also saw spots of softness during the week as dealers stand to the side after week-after-week of strong gains. Financial names suffered during the week on rising uncertainty, a theme that was notable in Goldman’s paper[...] read »
By now, it's probably safe to assume that everyone knows cigarettes are bad for you. But, given the intensely addictive nature of nicotine, it turns out that smoking is one bad habit that's tough to legislate away. Many states and cities now ban smoking altogether in indoor spaces, and cigarette packs are always a popular target when lawmakers are looking to raise taxes. read »
Visa is the largest global electronic payment solutions company in the world and has the largest network of credit and debit cards in circulation. read »