Financial Markets

Is there any merit to the popular definition of recession? Why must it be two quarters of negative growth and not one, or perhaps three? Frank Shostak gives another view and assesses the prospects for recovery.

One of Franklin Roosevelt's many schemes to "save capitalism from itself" in the 1930s was the creation of the Federal National Mortgage Association, known today as Fannie Mae. Created in 1938 as part of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation, Fannie Mae's original mandate was to purchase Federal Housing Administration loans.

It is conceivable that stocks might have come back after September 11. But the meddlers in DC seemed to be doing everything in their power to drive it down and out.

Recent scrutiny over mutual fund disclosure practices comes amidst a flurry of rules, investigations, and regulatory pressure being applied to the broader securities industry. 

Whatever direction the stock market may take in the future, its opening day was a time for honest assessment of how the recent terrorist attacks and their aftermath may affect our economic future. 

Capitalism is about “laboring the earth” more fruitfully so that fewer men go needy, so that the next fanatic finds less willing recruits, so that amid bustling commercial intercourse, barriers of class and race and ignorance are dissolved into mutual respect and benefit.

Recorded at Mises University 2001.

As the nation's equity markets crumbled, the question that inevitably arose was "When will stock prices stop falling?" And there was always some willing economist, journalist, politician, or other self-appointed pundit ready to take the bait.

Financial meltdowns and exploding funds have discredited the free capital market in Romania. But was it a case of market, or government, failure? Tudor Smirna investigates.

Manuel Asensio is better than the SEC when it comes to ferreting out stock scams—and, therefore, performs a fabulous market function by selling short. Christopher Mayer explains.