
This week the Senate Banking Committee is scheduled to vote on a housing reform proposal sponsored by Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD), chairman of the committee, and Mike Crapo (R-ID), the ranking member. The bill would wind down Fannie Mae and
by Christopher Whalen27 Apr 2014, 12:03 PM PST0

Thomas Piketty has written a new book that is causing a great commotion inside and outside of liberal economic circles, among Americans who think themselves to be “progressive” but are really just plain socialists. The basic thesis of the book,
by Christopher Whalen19 Apr 2014, 11:23 AM PST0

In February, we reported on the depredations of large banks operating in the derivatives market focused on public sector entities, especially the bankrupt city of Detroit. Most recently, The New York Times reported that the banks involved in the swaps contracts at
by Christopher Whalen15 Apr 2014, 7:52 AM PST0

In this installment of Washington & Wall Street, we take readers of Breitbart News into the obscure world of the bond market and an important subset, namely the world of mortgage loan servicing and the “to be announced” (TBA) market
by Christopher Whalen10 Apr 2014, 12:01 PM PST0

Federal Reserve Board Chairman Janet Yellen has made it known that the United States Central Bank is fine with the idea that the U.S. housing market is contracting. In a research note, analysts at Bank of America Merrill Lynch said
by Christopher Whalen4 Apr 2014, 8:38 AM PST0

The Revolt Against the Masses: How Liberalism has Undermined the Middle Class is one of the most important books written about American politics in the past fifty years. The author, Fred Siegel, is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute for
by Christopher Whalen31 Mar 2014, 9:53 AM PST0

Question: Do you think the Democrats are worried about a housing slump in the second half of 2014? Earlier this week, I participated on a panel in Washington at a conference sponsored by my friends at The Five Star Institute,
by Christopher Whalen26 Mar 2014, 3:20 PM PST0

The liberal dictatorship of Richard Cordray at the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau (CFPB) came under fire this week when the head of the House Financial Services Committee (HFSC) called for the agency to open up its four advisory council meetings
by Christopher Whalen19 Mar 2014, 3:04 AM PST0

As I traveled back from the EU this weekend, a story in the Financial Times about the unrealized losses that the Fed has generated on its vast portfolio of U.S. Treasury and Mortgage Backed Securities (MBS) caught my eye. These losses, contrary
by Christopher Whalen15 Mar 2014, 2:41 PM PST0

This week Washington and Wall Street is “Down and Out in Paris and London,” to borrow the title from the autobiography of George Orwell. We are attending the Paris meeting of the Global Interdependence Center in Philadelphia, which is hosted
by Christopher Whalen11 Mar 2014, 4:07 AM PST0

Job creation in the US rose modestly in February, posting a better-than-expected gain of 175,000 despite expectations that weather would keep the count low. The unemployment rate moved higher to 6.7 percent, according to the latest report from the Bureau
by Christopher Whalen7 Mar 2014, 9:36 AM PST0

This week, many Wall Street traders got caught on the wrong foot when the dictator of Russia, Vladimir Putin, decided to seize the Crimean Peninsula. On Tuesday, the U.S. Stock Market sprang back, but that does not mean that the
by Christopher Whalen5 Mar 2014, 7:43 PM PST0

“Folly is a greater enemy of the good than evil.” Deitrich Bonhoeffer As the annual Conservative Political Action Conference opens this week in Washington, a rival conference organized by conservative activists like Stephen K. Bannon, executive chairman of Breitbart News,
by Christopher Whalen1 Mar 2014, 2:49 PM PST0

New York City Mayor Mayor Bill de Blasio has only been in office for a short time, but already he is starting to look like a lame duck. A year ago, nobody would take a call from de Blasio, but
by Christopher Whalen21 Feb 2014, 9:40 PM PST0

The bankrupt city of Detroit is going through a terrible process of identifying all of the vacant buildings in this once teaming metropolis. The New York Times reports: All over Detroit, scores of these workers — on some days as many
by Christopher Whalen21 Feb 2014, 10:24 AM PST0

In her first appearance before Congress this week, Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen achieved the primary goal of any new Fed chief and avoided any obvious land mines. But what was lacking in the dialogue, both from Yellen and the
by Christopher Whalen14 Feb 2014, 7:02 AM PST0

Last week, the office of the United States Postal Service inspector general released a white paper touting a “huge market” represented by the population of Americans that is underserved by traditional banks and non-bank financial providers. The proposal is strongly supported
by Christopher Whalen10 Feb 2014, 7:38 PM PST0

As Jack Kemp famously said, “”It is not enough to be against something; you have to tell people what you are for.” Last week I wrote a long analysis on Zero Hedge asking a simple question: Is the Housing Sector a Drag on
by Christopher Whalen6 Feb 2014, 8:03 AM PST0

Before and during the State of the Union message, President Obama declared that he intended to act by Executive Order to address issues like the economy. He did not mention, as we discussed in the last column, the much of
by Christopher Whalen29 Jan 2014, 8:06 AM PST0

Last week, I spent a very enjoyable hour with my friend Barry Ritholtz, an American author, newspaper columnist, blogger, equities analyst, CIO of Ritholtz Wealth Management, and guest commentator on Bloomberg Television. He is just starting a new radio program
by Christopher Whalen25 Jan 2014, 3:58 PM PST0

The latest economic indicators continue to suggest that the housing market is slowing due to the twin evils of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform law and the Fed’s low interest rate policies. The former has greatly constricted the availability of
by Christopher Whalen21 Jan 2014, 12:47 PM PST0

George Orwell wrote in his classic book Nineteen Eighty-Four that “He who controls the past controls the future. He who controls the present controls the past.” You need no better example of this than the way in which the Federal
by Christopher Whalen16 Jan 2014, 2:46 PM PST0

Last week’s job numbers suggest very strongly that the Obama Depression may be accelerating. Economists of all stripes are trying to pretend that the numbers were not as ugly as they well and truly are, but some of the realists
by Christopher Whalen12 Jan 2014, 4:25 PM PST0

In a recent exchange on Twitter with my London based friend Max Keiser (www.maxkeiser.com) I suggested that the monetary upstart known as bitcoin is merely the latest evolution of the tulip mania speculation. The Economist describes the tulip mania: “Tulpenwoede” (tulip madness) resulted in big
by Christopher Whalen8 Jan 2014, 9:19 AM PST0

You don’t get something for nothingYou can’t have freedom for freeYou won’t get wiseWith the sleep still in your eyesNo matter what your dreams might be Rush: Geddy Lee, Neil Peart This past Friday, watching Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben
by Christopher Whalen4 Jan 2014, 9:33 AM PST0