- The Feds are wrapping up a three-year project aimed at cracking down on insider trading. Some of the biggest names in finance (Goldman Sachs (GS), SAC, Janus) are being bandied about, as are the following phrases: Criminal and civil; three-year investigation; bankers; hedge funds; analysts. This should be a lot of fun to watch. [WSJ]
- Ireland has accepted a $100 billion – plus bailout. Greece has also been rescued; will Portugal and Spain be next? [NYT]
- The Federal Reserve should continue to pursue a goal of low unemployment, says Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner. Some Republicans had been saying that maybe the Fed should just stick to fighting inflation. [AP]
- Economists are not super excited about the economy’s prospects in 2011; they expect the unemployment rate to drop to a still-discouraging 9.2 percent. [Bloomberg]
- When Bank of America (BAC) and PNC sold shares of asset-management behemoth BlackRock (BLK), Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim and Norway’s central bank were lining up to buy. [FT]
mtaylor [at] observer.com | @mbrookstaylor
