Category Archives: Finance

Wall Street Bonuses are Not the Real Issue

Posted on October 29, 2009 by Basab Pradhan

This month the biggest Wall Street companies reported their quarterly earnings. JP Morgan Chase and Goldman Sachs reported bumper earnings, Citgroup and Bank of America, not so good. But if you leave out write downs on debt, everyone had a … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Economics, Finance | 6 Comments

Bonuses at AIG – Who Wrote that Compensation Plan?

Posted on March 17, 2009 by Basab Pradhan

It’s like everyone was waiting for this. The collective anger of a nation is spewing out. The media, the government and the average citizens are outraged. AIG Financial Products (AIGFP) employees have been getting hate mail. Bloggers are talking about … Continue reading →

Posted in Finance | 4 Comments

Banks and the Dreaded N-Word

Posted on March 1, 2009 by Basab Pradhan

What is it about ‘Nationalization’ that makes it such a loaded word in the US? You can spot a politically loaded word if The media gleefully uses [word] in its headlines, the opposition in Congress and interviews. The government refuses … Continue reading →

Posted in Finance | 2 Comments

Expected Bonuses on Wall Street

Posted on January 31, 2009 by Basab Pradhan

Bonuses paid to Wall Street were 44% down from last year but still, at $18.4B were the sixth highest in history [official release]. While the state of New York wrung its hands over the lower tax revenues, President Obama called … Continue reading →

Posted in Finance | 3 Comments

Satyam Next Steps

Posted on January 11, 2009 by Basab Pradhan

India’s regulatory authorities have made a great start on the Satyam accounting fraud scandal. The two bodies that would have regulatory oversight over such a situation – the Ministry of Company Affairs and SEBI – are both playing this on … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Finance, India, Offshore Services | 3 Comments

More on Satyam

Posted on January 8, 2009 by Basab Pradhan

We are where we are. The biggest corporate fraud in India’s history was disclosed by its perpetrator yesterday. Where we go from here, as I wrote yesterday, this is a test of our regulators. How they handle this crisis will … Continue reading →

Posted in Finance, Offshore Services | 11 Comments

Questions re Satyam

Posted on January 5, 2009 by Basab Pradhan

While I was out of circulation and not blogging (business trip and vacation) the Satyam saga was unfolding. I remained abreast of what was happening but didn’t post anything on it. It’s been well covered by other bloggers and the … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Finance, India, Offshore Services | 10 Comments

Fewer Finance Jobs Isn’t All Bad

Posted on October 18, 2008 by Basab Pradhan

While people in the capital markets or selling to it lament the “It’ll never be the same” nature of recent events, there is an emerging meme that says that this is perhaps a good thing. Fareed Zakaria in a recent … Continue reading →

Posted in Finance | 8 Comments

The Future of a Finance Job

Posted on October 5, 2008 by Basab Pradhan

Even among economists and finance gurus, there is disagreement about the financial rescue package that the US Congress approved last week. A very well argued viewpoint, which does not agree with the Treasury’s plan, is here. But the one thing … Continue reading →

Posted in Finance | 10 Comments

Bailouts and the Fog of Finance

Posted on September 26, 2008 by Basab Pradhan

“Bailout” was a bad word in the US to begin with. The current financial crisis and the US government’s $700 B plan to revive the market for troubled mortgage based assets have made it toxic. What does “bailout” mean to … Continue reading →

Posted in Finance | 8 Comments