My question is how much capital is enough in a world where the human mind with silicon assistance is able to create securities so complex that the actual risk that is created cannot be understood, much less quantified? Continue reading

I read several articles recently in which the problem of "friction" is lamented. The issue is not one of physics (although one discussion was in Scientific American), but of barriers, technical or otherwise, to the unfettered exercise of human choice. The concept apparently originated among economists, concerning participation by homo... Continue reading

he large banks may feel they can live with this uncertainty, since they have armies of lawyers to handle any issues that the Bureau has with their actual practices under the general principles, and that would probably be a rational conclusion. This could also have other benefits to the big banks, since their smaller competitors, existing and future, will not necessarily have the same resources to cope with regulatory uncertainty and may be more cautious than necessary as a result. Continue reading