Here is a link to Gene Sperling's opening statement: http://www.treas.gov/press/releases/tg166.htm#_ftnref3 There are some very interesting quotes that help to frame Treasury's philosophy re systematic risk and executive compensation in this statement. Compensation structures that permitted ke ... Read more

Corporate governance has always been an important part of value investing. Obviously, most of us hate waste when precious company resources are squandered to build executive dreams rather than shareholder capital. Misallocation of capital and failure to optimize returns on capital have led me at tim ... Read more

Courtesy of Seeking Alpha, I have been privileged to have been introduced to an exciting new research product called Gridstone Research . Gridstone is a new research platform that combines financial data, operational data, and unstructured textual information about a company into a structured usef ... Read more

  “By prevailing over all obstacles and distractions, one may unfailingly arrive at his chosen goal or destination.”- Christopher Columbus Needless to say, it has been an incredibly tumultuous environment. The economic outlook, despite a few specks of light in a dark sky remai ... Read more

What can be said in New Year rhymes, That's not been said a thousand times? The new years come, the old years go, We know we dream, we dream we know. We rise up laughing with the light, We lie down weeping with the night. We hug the world until it stings, We curse it then and sigh for wings ... ... Read more

Less than a week to go for 2008, and the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) has a proposal which it has thrown into the arena to address the problem of fair value. Mark to market accounting has stirred up a very ugly debate between its adversaries and its proponents. Mark Sunshine, in a ... Read more

A simple and sincere message to all. Here's wishing you the best of holidays in this blessed season. Wishing all of you a Happy Hanukkah, a Merry Christmas, and peace! Looking forward to 2009, a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous Year for all! Rick ... Read the full post ... Read more

It has been a remarkable year. It has been year that many of us would just as soon forget. The cascading effects of deleveraging have been rampant across all markets. The financial turmoil of 2007-08-09? has deeply affected households as well as businesses in most parts of the world. The reduction ... Read more

For two days last week, it was my privilege to attend the Commodity Investment World conference through the courtesy of Seeking Alpha . A broad spectrum of commodities markets, their economics and approaches to these markets were discussed. Commodities conferences historically have been the deni ... Read more