Wall Street Makes a U-Turn; Fed To Curb Banker Pay? – September 18, 2009

Must-Know News

• Google (GOOG) unveiled a new way to sell graphical ads over the Internet called DoubleClick Advertising Exchange. The new service will provide advertisers and publishers with a one-stop shop for buying and selling ad space. Some people are worried that the service will actually mean more headaches for high-end publishers.
• Video — Display Ads: Google vs. Yahoo
• A day after announcing that it had raised $2.9 billion in funds, American Airlines (AMR) said that it expects third quarter mainline unit revenue to decrease between 14.5% to 15.5% year-over-year.
• The power of a brand can catapult a company to great success. No one knows this better than Coca-Cola (KO) and IBM (IBM). Both companies have been named the most valuable brands in the world.
• Labor agencies across the nation sounded off on the status of unemployment in their states. Unemployment remained mixed across the D.C. region. While D.C.’s unemployment rate rose in August, Virginia’s unemployment rate sunk and Maryland’s stayed the same. California’s unemployment rate climbed to 12.2 percent in August, setting a new modern record. Colorado did deliver one piece of positive news. The job market there has started to improve and as a result unemployment shed a half-point to 7.3.
• Bankers may need to brace for the government executing some level of control over their compensation. Reports are surfacing that the Federal Reserve is putting the final touches on a proposal to control the pay of bank employees.
• The Fed’s dangerous plan to regulate Wall Street pay
• Video — Should the Fed Regulate Banker Pay?
• The Hypocrisy of the Fed
• Now that the absolute chaos that flowed through financial markets last year has eased, the U.S. Treasury Department is starting to cut back on some of the programs that were designed to help the crippled system. The Department ended its year-old program to guarantee money market mutual funds.
• For the first time in history, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) will see its cash reserves fall below the two percent minimum mandated by Congress. It may be time for a shakeup over at the FHA.
• Sorry, there is no magic pill for weight loss yet. Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc. (ARNA) said its obesity drug candidate lorcaserin did well during the clinical trial, but is not as effective as other developed treatments.

Other Juicy Tidbits

• Construction developers are still pulling out all the stops to try and lure buyers in. Would you like a free Lamborghini with that condo?
• It is hard to argue that deregulation of the financial services industry was rampant in Washington when the spending on finance and banking regulatory agencies kept growing so fast. Let’s look at the numbers.
• Middle-class folks are finding that a raise or second paycheck doesn’t always mean living better. Time to work less?
• Wall Street’s Biggest Con: M&A Advice
• Did Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke prevent the U.S. from reliving the Great Depression?
• Stocks Near Year-Ago Levels, So Why Isn’t My Portfolio?