Banking, finance, and taxes

Obama: Wrong That Wall St. Will Shrink (MS)(GS)

bankWall St. is not going to be as big a player in the economy as it has been, if President Obama is right. He may not be.

Commenting on how much of the economy will be driven by the financial sector, Obama told The New York Times Magazine, “Part of that has to do with the effects of regulation that will inhibit some of the massive leveraging and the massive risk-taking that had become so common.”

The same kind of fate was predicted for Wall St. as The Great Depression ended. Glass-Steagall and a more powerful Federal Reserve were supposed to reign in the financial industry. Sidney Weinberg assumed the role of senior partner at Goldman Sachs (GS) in 1930 and it began its unparalleled climb to become one of the largest and most well-regarded investment banks in the world. Morgan Stanly (MS) was formed in 1935.

Obama may want to look back more than 20 years when he makes his comments about the financial sector.

Douglas A. McIntyre

Credit Card Companies Are Doing Something Nuts

Credit card companies are at war. The biggest issuers are handing out free rewards and benefits to win the best customers.

It’s possible to find cards paying unlimited 1.5%, 2%, and even more today. That’s free money for qualified borrowers, and the type of thing that would be crazy to pass up. Those rewards can add up to thousands of dollars every year in free money, and include other benefits as well.

We’ve assembled some of the best credit cards for users today.  Don’t miss these offers because they won’t be this good forever.

Flywheel Publishing has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Flywheel Publishing and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.

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