Bear Stearns news stories on Newser

Jury Clears Fund Managers in Bellwether Case

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:29:17 CST

Two Bear Stearns executives who ran hedge funds that collapsed after betting heavily on the shaky subprime mortgage market were acquitted today of lying to investors—a defeat in the government's bid to punish fraud exposed by the financial crisis. The closely watched case was the first one against Wall...

First Major Financial Crisis Trial Begins

Rob Quinn — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 02:43:00 CDT

The first major criminal trial against top Wall Street execs involved in the financial crisis kicked off in New York yesterday. Bear Stearns hedge fund managers Ralph Cioffi and Matthew Tannin are accused of misleading investors in a desperate attempt to stop them from abandoning the funds, even as they...

8 Days That Shook the Financial World

Caroline Miller — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 21:35:26 CDT

James Stewart’s reconstruction of the 8 nail-biting days, a year ago, in which the federal government stepped in to stop the collapse of the world financial system—published in the New Yorker this week, just as Fed chief Ben Bernanke was declaring the recession officially over—makes riveting, tense reading....

Wall Street Lives, Dies by Overconfidence: Gladwell

Harry Kimball — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 16:31:02 CDT

Confidence is key to the banking game, but an overabundance of it seems to have made the industry’s titans so delusional they blundered into the financial crisis, Malcolm Gladwell writes in the New Yorker . “The roots of Wall Street’s crisis were not structural or cognitive so much as they were...

Companies Hobbled by Fewer Wall St. Analysts

Kevin Spak — Tue, 26 May 2009 11:00:01 CDT

The turmoil on Wall Street has left fewer analysts covering companies of all sizes, the Journal reports, leaving smaller operations struggling to connect with investors. Since September, there have been more than 2,200 instances of analysts formally dropping coverage—nearly a quarter of all research. That plunge has been...

'I Save a Lot of People Money': Cramer to Stewart

Harry Kimball — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 13:00:00 CDT

Jim Cramer is once again on the defensive, as Jon Stewart seemingly can’t stop finding damning Mad Money clips, Gawker reports. Appearing on this morning's Today show, Cramer was subjected to a CNBC snippet that ran on the Daily Show last night, from January 2008, where the host literally asked...

Just How Bad Was 2008?

Nick McMaster — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 16:37:51 CST

If you're under the age of 70, 2008 was probably the worst year you've lived through, reports Bloomberg. Here's why: In housing, which started the downturn, median resale prices saw a 13% decline, the largest since the 1930s. Foreclosure rates reached 2.97%, and mortgage delinquency hit 6.99%, both...

The Year in (Wiki) Questions

Michael Roston — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 14:31:01 CST

Need a primer on 2008? TechCrunch runs down common questions from each month on WikiAnswers: January: When was the last time snow fell in Baghdad? February: Why did the Hollywood writers go on strike? March: Why did Bear Stearns fail? April: Which races has Danica Patrick won? May: How successful...

Big Players Reel in Charity Spending

Sarah Quinn — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 12:14:56 CST

Charities used to getting much of their money from major corporations and private foundations are feeling the economic downturn, the Wall Street Journal reports. Bill Gates’ foundation plans to give fewer grants next year, and other large donors are honoring existing pledges but refusing to make new ones. “You can’t...