Two recent Wall Street Journal articles may cause investors to reconsider their assumptions about the supposed benefits of exchange traded funds: “Flash Crash May Prove Blemish for ETFs,” by Ian Salisbury (May 13, 2010), and “Danger: Falling ETFs,” by Eleanor Laise (May 29, 2010).

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Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) Were Far More Volatile than Stocks in the Recent Flash Crash

In response to recent concerns over high-risk private offerings such as Medical Capital and Provident Royalties, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has issued a Notice to Members (NTM-10-22) that reminds brokerage firms of their obligations to investigate private placements before allowing their representatives to sell those investment products. However, FINRA only regulates registered broker-dealers, and many such offerings are recommended or sold by financial advisory firms that are not FINRA-registered

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Problems Involving Private Offerings Escalate

An OfficePOD provides a working environment that is separate to home life. The hassle free OfficePOD service deals with everything from site survey and installation through to customer services and POD relocation in the case of moving house or employer. The OfficePOD is 2.1m x 2.1m space to create a self contained office that exceeds all standard office accommodation regulations & requirements.

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OfficePod – perfect solution for the entrepenuers back yard?

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, which insures deposits and manages failed banks placed in receivership, among other things, has received toxic collateralized debt obligations (CDOs) with a “book value” of over $400 million from approximately two dozen failed banks around the country. In this case, “book value” means cost basis.

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The FDIC Has Been Left Holding Substantial Toxic CDO Debt

Liz Ann Sonders, Charles Schwab’s chief investment strategist, is skeptical about bonds and emerging markets and believes that “[i]nvestors are doing what they do well, which is chase past performance,” according to a recent article by Mina Kims posted on CNNMoney.com, “Bond investors are chasing the past.”

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Bonds – Is It Time To Be Cautious?

The large number of bank failures over the past two years has resulted in big financial losses for investors owning stock in those banks. In most cases, failed banks are taken over by the FDIC, which arranges for the operations to be assumed by another bank — free of the liabilities of the failed bank

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Investors Have Sustained Huge Losses Investing in Small Banks

OfficeSearchToronto.com tracks available office space across the GTA. Want a survey or availability report somewhere else in Toronto? Are these space too big?

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Landlord Listings Direct – Downtown West Brick and Beam -WTF Allied and Capitol Buildings

The answer appears to be a resounding yes. The SEC’s recently filed a lawsuit against Goldman Sachs alleging fraud in the sale of mortgage-backed collateralized debt obligations (CDOs)

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Were Toxic CDO Investments Deliberately Dumped on Unsuspecting Investors?

Hundreds of state and local governments are losing big money as a result of interest-rate swaps they made with Wall Street Banks, according to a recent Wall Street Journal article by Aaron Lucchetti.

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Interest Rate Swaps Sold by Wall Street Banks Decimate Local Government Resources

HighTower Advisors LLC, a high-profile, high-pedigree investment advisory firm, has been dogged by a series of investor and business lawsuits that could threaten its distinguished reputation, according to a recent article by Bruce Kelly in InvestmentNews.

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Is HighTower Advisors All That It Claims To Be?

UBS and other brokerage firms took advantage of conservative investors by misrepresenting so-called “100% principal protected” notes as safe investments when they were not. See New York Times article, “’100% Protected’ Isn’t as Safe as It Sounds,” by Gretchen Morgenson. Investors who purchased these notes have suffered billions in losses, she added

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Many Brokerage Firms That Sold "100% Principal Protected Notes" Misled Investors

Bloomberg is reporting that Goldman Sachs has broken off negotiations with the law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP and says it does not plan to engage another law firm to defend it in the pending action by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Bloomberg reportedly confirmed this decision with Goldman spokesman Lucas van Praag.

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Is Goldman Posturing to Settle the SEC’s CDO Fraud Claims

The extreme risk of reverse convertibles was dramatically demonstrated recently when such a note issued by JPMorgan Chase, which promised 64 percent annualized interest, plummeted in value just three days after being sold, according to Zeke Faux in his May 17th Bllomberg article titled “JP Morgan’s 64 Percent Note Shows Risks of Reverse Convertibles.”

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JP Morgan Reverse Convertibles "Knock Out Investors in the First Round"

“As the U.S. Senate prepares to vote as early as this week on legislation rewriting the rules for Wall Street, the financial industry is holding fundraisers for lawmakers at a rate of almost one every business day this month,” according to a May 17th Bloomberg article by Jonathan D. Salant

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Wall Street Special Interest Groups Are Spending Huge Sums to Thwart Financial Reform

OfficeSearchToronto.com tracks available office space across the GTA. Want a survey or availability report somewhere else in Toronto? Are these space too big

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Landlord Listings Direct – GE, GWL and Oxford – May 2010

For floor plans or a survey of available office space in Toronto provide your contact info here and I will be in touch with a custom survey of office space tailored to your needs.

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Small Financial Core Office Space for Lease – May 2010

OfficeSearchToronto.com tracks available office space across the GTA. Want a survey or availability report somewhere else in Toronto?

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Landlord Listings – Northam, Dundee and Manulife – May 2010

We provide free custom surveys of available office space including a price list and floor plans. Simply reach out to us here! Small Financial Core Office Space for Lease View more documents from Chris Fyvie

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Downtown East Toronto Office Space – May 2010

This story was sent to me by a former student of Brooke Training who has become a great friend as well. My desire is to not only teach the skills needed to succeed in the transportation industry but also inspire others to live everyday as a gift, just like Rose: My Name is Rose The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn’t already know

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What Age is Old?

Some line up for iPhones, some for iPads, I’d line up for the new slider but I always wait for the reviews first.

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Blackberry Slider – Video – Real Estate Agents new secret weapon

Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Commissioner Luis Aguilar has consistently stated that Congress should mandate that all providers of investment advice, including broker-dealers, should be subject to the fiduciary standards imposed by the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (Advisers Act). He said so again recently in a speech at the Investment Adviser Association Annual Conference, reported by Bloomberglaw.com

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Broker-Dealers Must Be Held to a Real Fiduciary Standard

Broker flyer 2carlton View more documents from Chris Fyvie . For floor plans check out the website at http://www.2carlton.com Floor Name Suite # Rentable Area Rental Rate Availability Comments MEZZANINE M1 8,454 $14.00 November 1, 2010 Two Suites available: east mezz– in base building condition, and west mezz– built out, mostly open concept, hardwood floors 06 619 1,056 $14.00 Immediate built out offices, open area and kitchenette 10 1000 1,097 $14.00 August 1, 2010 Built out space with 1 office and servery 13 1307 984 $14.00 Immediate 2 offices, open area, hardwood floors 13 1317 3,795 $14.00 November 1, 2010 built out with offices, meeting room, kitchenette and open area. 14 1406-07-11 9,826 14.00 November 1, 2010 Base building condition 15 1503 1,926 $14.00 Immediate built out with 3 offices, boardroom, kitchen and open area

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Featured Property – 2 Carlton Street

Turbulence continued to rock the equity markets on Friday, as Wall Street closed out one of its most volatile weeks since the financial crisis of 2008. Market regulators said that they had not yet determined the cause of Thursday’s steep decline.

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Volatile Week on Wall St. Ends With Another Slide

Paul A. Volcker, the former Federal Reserve chairman, has voiced some concerns about Senator Blanche Lincoln’s proposal to regulate the derivatives market much more tightly, saying that he is not in favor of forcing banks to spin off their derivatives operations.

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Volcker Says Derivatives Proposal Goes Too Far

Just days after the announcement of a federal criminal probe, Goldman Sachs is exploring a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“Goldman Talks Settlement With SEC,” by Susan Pulliam and Susanne Craig, May 7, 2010, Wall Street Journal). According to the WSJ, this signals a scaling back of Goldman’s initially combative response to the SEC charges and unsettled shareholders.

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Goldman Sachs and SEC Reportedly Talk Settlement