Comment, analysis and other offerings from Thursday’s FT,
Obama’s bank plan could rob the taxpayer
Jeffrey Sachs, director of The Earth Institute at Columbia University, writes: It is no surprise that stock market capitalisation of the banks has risen about 50 per cent from the lows of two weeks ago. Taxpayers are the losers, even as they stand on the sidelines cheering the rise of the stock market.
David Pilling: China’s retort to Coke stirs fears of retaliation
The US gets worked up over ports and oil. France is sensitive about its strategic yoghurt reserves. China, it seems, gets particularly touchy when it comes to beverages.
Daddy, tell me, what exactly is a derivative?
James Carville, chief strategist for Bill Clinton’s 1992 campaign, writes: I do not know about you but I would rather not buy toxic anything. As someone who has prided himself on being able to reduce complex problems to simple messages, I am totally stumped by derivatives.
Editorial comment: Prague’s presidency
Though the end of the coalition comes just days after the Hungarian prime minister said he would quit, it would be wrong to see central and eastern Europe as an area afflicted by a single malady.
Lex on UK public finances
The greater risk, in fact, is that the government contributes to QE’s failure as investors fret about the glut of gilts and the lack of a credible path back to fiscal sustainability
John Authers’ Short View: Who is going to pay
The air is thick with verbal barbs – from the Chinese central bank’s interest in a new reserve currency, to the Czech prime minister’s anger with the US deficit.
Interactive graphic: Consolidation in the pharmaceutical sector
In the wake of three major deals announced since the start of the year, this interactive feature illustrates consolidation in the pharmaceutical sector since the mid-90s.