US policy failures: Who dropped the ball?

US policy failures in the autumn of 2007 were crucial both in letting the financial crisis fester and then spiral out of control, and in a premature, panicky slashing of interest rates that paradoxically aggravated the slowdown severely, writes Charles Dumas.

Investors can find value if they pick and mix

Why all financial entities, including hedge funds, must be regulated

UNTIL RECENTLY, MOST of us thought financial debt was simply interposed between final borrowers and lenders, and of minor significance in itself. Thus the $2.7 trillion of mortgages (at September 2008 – down from the $3 trillion peak a year earlier) held in vehicles that had issued asset-backed securities were 20% of the 109% of GDP that is financial sector debt.

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