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For some time now, investors have been reaching for yield as interest rates remain low. Trying to cope with this low yield environment, investors are taking on more risk by seeking high yield bonds and structured products among others. In the case of structured products, I often wonder whether investors…

Financial Statement Analysis holds the key to understanding your clients’ businesses, identifying attractive loan and other financial transaction opportunities, reducing credit losses, and increasing profits. We’re all too familiar with opportunities that are overlooked, mainly because bank relationship managers don’t understand the nuances of their clients’ financial statements and don’t…

Last month, we published an article on the Volcker Rule and where to begin to incorporate it from a compliance perspective. The article, written by Lisa Kim Estrada, provided commentary on how to proceed with the task of implementing the rule and how to deal with the six requirements for…

It is difficult to read a paper today or listen to a business news report without reference to interest rates going higher. So I thought I would review the main interest rate risk metric used by fixed income portfolio managers: Duration. Interest Rate Risk Metric: Duration If rates do go…

Capital Adequacy is a financial standard which has been developed by financial regulators to ensure banks can absorb a reasonable level of losses before becoming insolvent. This is usually expressed as a ratio of capital to risk weighted assets. Assets are adjusted based on their inherent risk. For example, loans…

As soon as Michael Lewis’s new book Flash Boys hit the Kindles, the debate over high-frequency trading (HFT) – and especially the “maker-taker” pricing prevalent for some time in the high-frequency trading world – hit a new high. So what are they all talking about? Those of you who have…

In my role as president and CEO of GFMI, I am fortunate to work with a variety of clients in numerous cities and countries. As you can imagine, in working with and visiting so many different organizations, I get a chance to discuss a variety of industry topics and to…

Learning and Development (L&D) faces the challenge of planning or adjusting their training services agenda each year, quarter, and month. As a result of downsizing in many firms, L&D folks are particularly challenged to do more with less. Many HR Generalists assume multiple responsibilities, including spearheading technical, financial, executive, and…

I love movies. And if you’re like me, you spent the evening watching the Oscars broadcast marveling at the phenomenal performances, glorious music and designs, and inspiring motion pictures. Once again, I felt like there were so many strong contenders for best screenplay, best feature film, best actor or actress,…