Securitization makes a comeback

• More than five years after the financial crisis taught us about the evils of collateralized-debt obligations, mortgage-backed securities and anything else Wall Street could package for sale, it turns out some forms of securitization actually work and make sense. More importantly, securitization is a necessary part of the financial world. The quiet and steady comeback of securitization. Not everybody is thrilled
• If you only think of JPMorgan Chase & Co. as a giant bank that paid out $20 billion in legal settlements last year, you would be missing the performance of the main banking business, which is now sitting pretty for a rising rate cycle. How JPMorgan played it safe on interest rates, and how that is paying off now. The timing could not have been better
• Forget “Bridgegate” or whatever kitten videos you might be watching on YouTube today, this is a story that could unfold to become a real mess. Don’t let the apparent complexities of the subject deter you from paying attention, because this is involves an important $5.3 trillion-a-day global foreign exchange market. Currency traders suspended at Deutsche Bank. Alleged manipulation of global currency markets
• General Motors is slated to pay its first quarterly dividend since May 2008. 15 straight quarters of profits
• Just because you’re making more than making minimum wage doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be paying attention to this debate, especially since the analysis gets loopier by the day. More minimum wage math. Business owners take a pay cut

Related Topics: Asset Allocation, Banking, Commentary/opinion, Financial Performance, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Mortgage Backed Bonds