Category: Preliminary Analytics

• Suppressing Workplace Anger Doubles Heart Attack Risk in Study – In other words, flipping out on someone is good for your health. [Bloomberg]
• Death of Ward M. Hussey – Mr. Hussey was the primary drafter of the 1954 and 1986 Internal Revenue Codes. [TaxProf Blog]
• Freddie says TBW-related loss may grow, files claim – The comforting part is that they really don’t know what the total exposure is. [Reuters]
• On the Other Side of the Table – Not even the Tax Girl is safe from an IRS audit. [Tax Girl]
• Heeding the Populist Call – “Fearful of a voter revolt, Washington is beginning to rethink its industry-friendly stance. ” [Financial Armageddon]

• Jamie Dimon seen as good fit for Treasury – Seems possible since JD and BO go way back to when Dimon was at Bank One. Plus, according to some, JD would ‘love to serve his country’ but according to others, he plans on staying at JPM for ‘six or seven years.’ This is a toss up at best. [NYP]
• These Men Could Kill SarbOx – And they’re doing it pro bono. [BW]
• Aluminum Bubble Concerns Mount as Surplus May Add 29% – ‘There’s a disconnect between the price and reality.’ That sounds familiar. [Bloomberg]
• Zynga May Be Valued at $1 Billion Feeding Off Facebook Craze – Zynga is movin’ up in Farmville bitches but there are no plans for a public offering, according to the CEO. That would be a distraction from developing new $3 chicken coops and the like. [Bloomberg]
• G.M. Is Taking Taxpayers for a Ride – In case you weren’t convinced. [DealBook]

• Goldman Holders Miffed at Bonuses – And there’s bellyaching that GS is trying to pull a fast one by including temps to pull down the comp per employee. Sneaky. [WSJ]
• EBay completes sale of Skype – The auction block gets $2 billion and still retains a 30% stake. [Reuters]
• SEC Told to Improve Ways It Chooses Probe Targets – Eenie, meenie, miney, moe just won’t cut it anymore. [AP via NYT]
• US House Panel Approves A Toned-Down Accounting Proposal – After amendments, the final word on all things FASB remains with the SEC. [Dow Jones]

• Better Paydays Ahead – “Many employers are planning to reinstate merit increases in 2010, but some compensation experts say base salaries are unlikely to return to pre-recession levels anytime soon, if ever.” Probably not what you had in mind. [WSJ]
• Reid $849 Billion Measure Widens Health Coverage, Cuts Deficit – “Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid unveiled an $849 billion health-care plan that would create new government competition for private insurers, cover almost all Americans and raise a payroll tax on the highest earners.” [Bloomberg]
• Democratic Rep. DeFazio Calls for Geithner and Summers to Be Fired – This smells desperate. [Naked Capitalism]
• Exclusive: GM Must Pay Debt, Make Money Before IPO – ” General Motors should focus on making money and repaying U.S. Treasury loans before turning to public markets to sell the taxpayer’s stake in the automaker.” Seems like a reasonable strategy. [Reuters via NYT]
• Bill Richardson’s Awkward Link To Alleged Ponzi Schemer – Apparently Hassan Nemazee’s firm has a four year contract to manage money for the Land of Enchantment. Yeah, that is awkward. [Forbes]

• Goldman, Buffett Team to Aid Small Businesses – WB says some small business need some help with certain things, ‘Sometimes people lack basic business skills, like accounting.’ Accounting and folksy sexual innuendos? He’s already got it figured out. Take note people. [WSJ]
• How to Wreck Your Company’s Valuation – Step 1: Hire an auditor of questionable ethics. [CFO]
• Lions Ex-Stadium, Once Super Bowl Host, Sells for $7.25 a Seat – Or $583,000. [Bloomberg]
• Chance of Great Depression Now 5%… – 20 to 1? Takers? [Brad DeLong]

• Bernanke Signals ‘Extended’ Low-Rate Period May Become Longer – In other words, we’re going to start blowing bubbles. Don’t worry, it’s fun! [Bloomberg]
• America’s Newest Land Baron: FDIC – Anyone looking for “a failed condo development on a noisy freeway ramp next to a Motel 6, a Waffle House and a Do-It-Yourself Pest Control.” Sheila Bair is selling. [WSJ]
• Volcker Criticizes Accounting Proposal – Criticism like the idea for the Treasury Department, FDIC, and the Fed to oversee accounting rules is ‘terrible’. [NYT]
• Playboy CFO Resigining – Linda Havard is ‘looking forward to new challenges’ after a dozen years on the job. Tracking Viagra expenses for the founder just doesn’t float her boat anymore. [CT]

• Study Suggests Accounting for Contingencies Needs Help – Environmental liabilities aren’t reflecting the actual cash paid. [Compliance Week]
• Bankruptcy Rise Slows With Thaw In Lending – “Now corporate failures have slowed, as companies once on the verge of default have found a new life. These companies are now refinancing their balance sheets with new debt, pushing out maturities on existing loans or using distressed-debt exchanges to avoid a bankruptcy filing.” [WSJ]
• GM to begin repaying government loans – “[GM] reported a positive operating cash flow of $3.3bn, but cautioned that this would not be repeated in the fourth quarter and that its cash reserves would be ‘materially lower’ at the end of the year.” [FT]
• Xtremely restless: Recession intensifies Gen X’s ‘middle child’ syndrome, urge to job hop – Let’s just blame everything on the recession, shall we? [CT]
• Should paid sick days be the law? – Or maybe going to work sick should be against the law. [NYDN]

• After Switzerland, U.S. Said to Aim at Hong Kong – You offshore money will be found. [DealBook]
• The Dilbert Guide to Angry Investing – [Idea of the Day/NYT]
• Alleged Ponzi Scheme Likely To Top $1 Billion, FBI Says – In the Ponzi du jour, Scott Rubenstein is accused of selling bogus legal settlements to investors. [WSJ]
• Roomy Khan Tipped Several People In Galleon Case – Diabolical. [Reuters via NYT]

• Costco CFO: Fingers crossed consumers will spend – Sounds like a winning strategy. [Reuters]
• Wall Street Faces ‘Live Ammo’ as Congress Aims to Unravel Banks – The bank lobby is finally a little concerned that this break up of TBTF is for real… [Bloomberg]
• The Kanjorski “We’re Tough on TBTF” Headfake – …or maybe they’re just playing along. [Naked Capitalism]
• White House Aims to Cut Deficit With TARP Cash – Not only that, there’s talk of, GASP, tax reform: “[Office of Management and Budget] is also reviewing a host of tax changes. The President’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board will submit tax-policy options by Dec. 5, including simplifying the tax code and revamping the corporate tax code.” [WSJ]
• G.E. Sells Security Unit for $1.8 Billion – The industrial conglomerate is a little less conglomerate-y, saying the fire alarm and security unit is a “noncore” business. [DealBook]

• Remember our Veterans today. [NYT]
• Chris Dodd Stripping Down the Fed and OMG Loller Dollar Rally – MSM has all sorts of opinions. JDA’s is still the most honest. [JDA]
• AIG’s Benmosche Threatens to Jump Ship – Let this be a lesson friends. Quitting is always an option. [WSJ]
• Boston Provident CFO charged with fraud – Ezra Levy swiped $1.3 million from the hedge fund. You can get in trouble for amounts that small? [FT]
• Landing That First Job – Are you filled with “piss and vinegar”? Bill Kennedy advises against that. [Energized Accounting]

• Why Paper Receipts Won’t Die – Tax return preparers wouldn’t have any shoeboxes jammed with them dropped off on their desks anymore. It’s sad to imagine that. [Idea of the Day/NYT]
• FDIC’s 20% Shorter ‘Merit’ Reviews Preceded Banking Failures – “At least three U.S. banks failed in the past year after the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. deemed them healthy enough to qualify for a program that reduced the time examiners spent on reviews by at least 20 percent.” [Bloomberg]
• Deal to Buy Sun Meets Opposition From EU Although, those pesky Europeans are a little more curious about Oracle dominating the database universe, it won’t necessarily put the kibosh on the deal. In other news, Larry Ellison likes boats. [WSJ]
• Bear Trial Jurors Ask for Evidence and Day Off – Doing your civic duty includes observing federal holidays. [DealBook]
• Madoff’s Crap Sold Off in “Garage Sale” Victims Benefit – Including a Mets jacket and post-it notes. [JDA]

• I’m doing ‘God’s work’. Meet Mr Goldman Sachs – Hey! Us too! [Times Online]
• Bear Stearns Casualty Earns $1.6 Million at Poker World Series – Steven Begleiter was a 24 year vet at Bear Stearns who sat on the bank’s management and compensation committees. [Bloomberg]
• Health Bill Faces Senate Heat – “If the public option plan is in there, as a matter of conscience, I will not allow this bill to come to a final vote,” Sen. Joe Lieberman (I., Conn.) said on Fox News Sunday. With the passage of the House bill, Congress moved closer than ever to providing Americans with near-universal health insurance” [WSJ]
• Kraft Makes $16.3 Billion Hostile Bid for Cadbury – Kraft is done playing. They want confections and they want them now. [NYT]
• Bad credit card debts ‘will soar’ – “Bad credit card debts may reach as much as 9% of all outstanding balances by the end of next year,” according to PwC. [BBC]
• Don’t forget to submit your caption on the Feed the Pig at the NYC Marathon caption contest!