By Kim Velsey 8/07/12 11:27am

Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous

WSJ: You should totally buy the yacht. (RobW_, flickr)

Deep Questions: Should Rich People Buy Yachts?

Of all the worries and existential dilemmas that keep America’s rich and powerful up at night, tossing in their Frette sheets, few are quite so urgent as the decision to buy a yacht.

Indeed, the wealthy elite of the world have grappled with the question of yacht ownership for as long as humans have sailed the seas. There are endless things to consider: Will my young wife like it? Will it help me get a young wife? Is it a bad investment or a good one? Does it matter? Read More

By Michael Stoler 3/30/11 5:14pm

Tales of Investments

Everything You Need to Know About Israeli Investment Right Now

Ever since the founding of the state of Israel, citizens of this tiny nation have made small financial investments in commercial real estate in the United States. Fifty years ago, these investors might have purchased a six-story walk-up apartment house on the Upper West Side. Today, new breeds of Israeli investors are aggressively pursuing commercial Read More

By Mike Taylor 2/07/11 5:52pm

Hackers

Nasdaq Hacked for Fun and/or Profit

So the Nasdaq got hacked. Over the weekend, news of a hacker attack on the Nasdaq stock exchange began gathering steam. On Saturday, The Wall Street Journal reported the cybernetic tresspassing, saying the stakes were high: “The Nasdaq situation has set off alarms within the government because of the exchange’s critical role, which Read More

By The Editors 12/03/10 6:13pm

Slideshow

Best of 2010: The 10 Most Staggerring Wall Street Surprises of the Year

In 2010, a year marked by a tepid recovery, there were nonetheless some moments of wondrous surprise and genuine shock. Wall Street titans were taken to task, and the markets roiled under the apparent digital whims of robotic traders. Beneath the slow and difficult restructuring of the U.S. economy, some massive and rapid shifts were Read More

By admin 10/29/10 11:37am

ROI

Fred Wilson Says VC Investing Isn’t All or Nothing

Hang around the world of of startup investing for a while and you will inevitably hear someone talking about the need for a home run. 

“Everyone wants to be Johnny Appleseed,” an executive at one of NY’s biggest VC firms told The Observer earlier this week, punning on early stage investments, also known as seed Read More

By The Editors 10/14/10 6:10pm

Slideshow

Extreme Trading: Record Foreclosures, Rubles in Rubble … and More!

Each week, The Observer looks at commodities, stocks, currencies, and economic data points that are making big moves and setting new records. This week’s extreme action takes place everywhere from the ineffably mucked up U.S. real-estate market to the soy farms of Agentina. For the most hard-core, eye-popping economic action this week, check out the Read More