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credit derivative

Mistaking Cause & Effect: Warren Buffett and the Role of Panic in The 2008 Crash

[Editor’s Note:  The views expressed here are solely those of Ross Kaplan, and do not represent Edina Realty, Berkshire Hathaway, or any other entity referenced.  Berkshire Hathaway is the ultimate parent company of Edina Realty.] Aficionados of Warren Buffett’s annual missive to shareholders (I’m one) will recall that last year’s included a doozy:  Buffett’s advice...
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Half-Time at “The Crash of ’08”

Wall Street:  Tens of Billions  Everyone Else:  Trillions . . . in Debt If you are just joining The Crash of ’08 “in progress” (as it were), here’s where things stand: Wide swaths of the country are broke. Their houses are underwater, their jobs (if they have them) are under pressure, and their savings (if they have them)...
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Winston Churchill on “The Crash of ’08”

Whodunnit?  “Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac!” Never have so many owed so much to so few. –Winston Churchill If Winston Churchill had been alive to witness The Crash of ’08 and the events leading up to it, I think he would have offered an updated version of his famous observation about the Royal Air Force pilots who defended...
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No (Financial) Cure Without Proper Diagnosis

“We ALL Caused This Mess??” Hardly. Put me in the camp that says, without an accurate diagnosis, it’s not possible to cure our current economic mess. So, here are two competing narratives explaining how we got to this juncture, both courtesy of Les Leopold (thanks to Ned Krahl for forwarding the Leopold piece): Narrative #1:...
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