By Jason Zweig | Dec. 24, 2011Image Credit: Christophe Vorlet Do you hear something jingling? It might not be sleigh bells. It might be billions of pennies cascading into the pockets of money managers, an unwitting gift from clients caught up in the perennial December ritual of “window dressing.” This time every year, most of the market tends...
Read MoreEnron, 10 Years After
By Jason Zweig | Dec. 5, 2011 2:58 pm ET Image credit: Wikimedia Commons Ten years ago last Friday, Enron Corp. filed for bankruptcy protection. Once the seventh-largest company on the Fortune 500 and, according to its official motto, “The World’s Leading Company,” Enron crashed as fast and hard as any giant in corporate history. What lessons does...
Read MoreWhy Bankers Should Be Grateful for Occupy Wall Street
Image Credit: Christophe Vorlet By Jason Zweig | Nov. 26, 2011 This Thanksgiving weekend, Wall Street should say a prayer of gratitude for Occupy Wall Street. While some bankers and brokers have sympathized with or supported this ragtag protest movement, others grouse that they are being demonized. But compared with financiers of the past, who faced nasty...
Read MoreSafe at Home? Not in a 401(k)
Image Credit: Christophe Vorlet By Jason Zweig | Nov. 19, 2011 How will 401(k) investors react to the latest blast of volatility in the markets? If the recent past is any guide, they will retreat into the apparent safety of cash, Treasury bonds and “stable value” mutual funds. They also will put money into their own company’s stock,...
Read MoreThe Long Climb and Steep Descent of Legg Mason’s Top Stock Picker
Image Credit: Chris Rand, “Star falling into the aurora over the Kewaunee River,” Wikimedia Commons By Jason Zweig | November 18, 2011 What’s the difference between a hero and a goat? Just ask Bill Miller. The once-revered mutual fund manager announced Thursday that he will step down in April as lead manager of the Legg...
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