Barclays looks like the latest bank to back away from commodities trading
Breakfast with Benjamin: Barclays backing away from commodities. Plus: Goldman hangs tough in the commodity-trading arena, getting esoteric with income investing, riding on an M&A high, and IRS bonuses whether you've paid your taxes or not
- Barclays may be cutting 7,500 jobs as it tries to improve returns in its securities unit. Call it the latest blow to Europe’s fixed-income, currencies and commodities business. Under pressure at the U.K.’s second-largest bank
- Meanwhile, Goldman Sachs is ready to pick up the scraps in the commodity-trading business as big-bank competitors walk away. The business gets less competitive
- Income by any means necessary. When the going gets tough, some income investors get esoteric. Investment trusts, convertibles, and loans
- Wall Street is riding high on the latest M&A buzz. A growing list of announced deals
- When the IRS awards itself bonuses, the bar is set low. Apparently, a record of disciplinary actions and even owing back taxes won’t prevent an IRS staffer from cashing in come bonus time. In 2012, 68,000 workers got bonuses totaling $86 million
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