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The Institutional Risk Analyst
© 2003-2025 | Whalen Global Advisors LLC All Rights Reserved in All Media | ISSN 2692-1812
Banks | Markets | Finance


NASDAQ Dodges a Black Swan
New York | Q: How do you say “black swan” in Norwegian? A: sort svane. But hold that thought for a moment. Last week readers of The...
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Sep 26, 20184 min read
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Fintech Wars: New York v. OCC et al…
New York | The term financial technology or “fintech” was reportedly coined back in the 1980s by Peter Knight in The Sunday Times, but...
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Sep 19, 20186 min read
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What Now for CBS and Viacom?
In this issue of The Institutional Risk Analyst, we feature composer and media industry observer Michael Whalen on the prospects for CBS...
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Sep 16, 20185 min read
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Lehman Brothers and the Subprime Crisis Ten Years After
New York | People keep asking what we think of the 10-year anniversary of the collapse of Lehman Brothers. Our answer is that not much...
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Sep 13, 20182 min read
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Profile: Texas Capital Bancshares
New York | In this issue of The Institutional Risk Analyst, we take a look at an important player in the world of mortgage finance, Texas...
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Sep 10, 20183 min read
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View from the Lake: Is the United States a “AAA” Credit?
Grand Lake Stream | The discussions this weekend at Leen’s Lodge in Maine were wide ranging and, as always, of great interest. Will...
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Sep 3, 20187 min read
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Will Jay Powell Blink on Reducing the Fed Portfolio?
New York | Last week Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell confirmed that the Federal Open Market Committee intends to keep...
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Aug 26, 20185 min read
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Tesla's Single Point of Failure
New York | Watching the meltdown of Tesla Motors (TSLA) founder and CEO Elon Musk last week unfold in the pages of The New York Times, we...
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Aug 20, 20186 min read
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Tight Money vs Tight Spreads
By any standard, credit spreads in the US bond and loan markets remain very tight. Now several years into a Fed interest rate tightening...
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Aug 14, 20185 min read
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Which Are the Best Performing US Banks?
New York | Which are the best performing banks in the US? Equity returns for the entire industry averaged 11.4% in Q1’18, up from 9.6%...
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Aug 7, 20186 min read
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Bank Stocks Rebound as Home Prices Start to Weaken
Dana Point | Since the lows of late-June, financials have rebounded more than 10% even as issues such as trade and the flattening...
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Jul 29, 20187 min read
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What If Chairman Powell is Wrong About Neutral Interest Rates?
New York | President Donald Trump caused a bit of a stir last week when he suggested that rising interest rates are cause for concern....
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Jul 23, 20186 min read
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Is Goldman Sachs Really a Bank? Really?
New York | In the steamy days of July 2018, bank earnings are more interesting than usual, in part because our beloved friends and...
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Jul 18, 20184 min read
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Has the Fed Permanently Inflated Home Prices?
New York | Last week we posted a snippet from Rob Chrisman’s housing finance blog about former Fed Chair Janet’s Yellen being "puzzled"...
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Jul 10, 20185 min read
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Professor Edward Altman: Risk On
New York | Last week The Institutional Risk Analyst attended an evening presentation by Professor Edward Altman of NYU Stern School of...
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Jul 1, 20185 min read
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Liquidity Traps and Interest Rate Ceilings
Grand Lake Stream | During our fishing trip to Leen's Lodge last week, there was a lot of discussion about the markets and whether the...
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Jun 26, 20185 min read
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The Tightening Hits Financials
Boston | Even as the Federal Open Market Committee raised short-term interest rates last week, the Trump Administration doubled down on...
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Jun 19, 20184 min read
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The Interview: Dale Hemmerdinger on the Outlook for New York Real Estate
New York | Dale Hemmerdinger is the consummate New Yorker. He is a real estate executive and active public citizen. He oversees the...
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Jun 11, 20188 min read
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Update: The Financial Repression Index
Back in April we published a comment, "Bank Earnings & Financial Repression," that introduced the concept of the Financial Repression...
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Jun 9, 20182 min read
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Merkel Blinks on Italy Bailout
New York – Ever heard of the European Monetary Authority? Hold that thought. For more than a decade now, banks in Europe have been...
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Jun 4, 20187 min read
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Christopher Whalen
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