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TSF's Alternative Finance Links This is an eclectic assortment of topics in investments, economics, finance and risk management, and are not necessarily germane to structured finance. These sites are chiefly pro-bono efforts that provide excellent resources in their respective area/s and are mentioned because of their high quality, unique focus and/or non-commercial agenda. Bank of Japan (in English) Bank for International Settlements (BIS) Berkshire Hathaway: Warren Buffett's Letters to Shareholders (1977- most recent) Few beyond BRKA shareholders have read this incredible gold mine of expert information on how to value corporations (and more). The fact that this gift hides in plain site disproves the theory of efficient markets. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Bureau of Labor Statistics CIA - The World Factbook CNN Money DefaultRisk Greg Gupton, Senior Director of Research at Fitch Ratings, designed and maintains this first-rate pro-bono web site on his own time. This is the web's most comprehensive credit risk modeling and measurement resource for corporate debt. Department of Justice Federal Reserve Bank FT Alphaville Current global news affecting hedge funds and the capital markets. "Seeking Alpha" with an international focus. GloriaMundi Barry Schachter scrupulously vets all content to focus exclusively on risk management issues. HedgeWorld (Reuters) This is the most comprehensive coverage of news affecting the hedge fund industry and the international capital markets. Registration is required for online topical news. Subscription for the premium coverage. Huffington Post HuffPo's paid business reporters have scooped "mainstream" media on several important stories. The business page of the Huffington Post aggregates and displays top stories in such a way that one gets a good overview of news one may have missed elsewhere. It's a mix, since some of its volunteer posters aren't up to that standard, but all posters must I.D. themselves. World leaders and celebrities write commentaries unavailable elsewhere. Disclosure: In November 2009, HuffPo invited me to repost some of my commentaries and/or blog (unpaid), which I often do. To be clear, I am not a journalist, I'm a consultant, who occasionally posts well-researched information or commentaries. My posts are also available in the "News" section of this site. Anyone is free to repost these--entirely or in part--with attribution. As a courtesy to HuffPo, please include a link if that is where I originally posted (as opposed to reposted) the material. Implode-o-Meter Aaron Krowne, entrepreneur, finance blog contributor, and head of Planet Math, started this site in late 2006 - a surprisingly good chronicle of recent events in the troubled US mortgage lending market. International Trade Commission Jesse's Cafe Americain "Arthur Cutten" returns from the grave to share his thoughts on precious metals trading, the global economy, and global politics. Dr. Sam Savage Dr. Sam Savage, son of the esteemed statistical theorist Professor Leonard Savage, is the most underrated mathematical mind for practical problem solving of our time. He advertises his software as "informational design," but you can easily adapt it to solve "complex" financial problems including "fat tails," skew, extreme events or "black swans," and other distribution abnormalities that we have dealt with for decades. Savage's elegant software makes ingenious use of Microsoft's Excel: Monte Carlo on your desktop. Note that open systems like the market may require different models and higher math, but this is a flexible tool, and a tremendous bargain. Whichever model you use for whatever application, keep in mind the following. No model can replace experience, knowledge, imagination, and judgment. That part is up to you. Securities and Exchange Commission - EDGAR Database Unvetted, often unintentionally hilarious public filings are posted on the SEC's site. Mystery Writers of America (MWA) gives out an annual award called an "Edgar" to top fiction writers, but it has nothing to do with the SEC's EDGAR filings. MWA follows standards and vets its submissions. Securities Class Action - Stanford's site Seeking Alpha The internet site for up-to-the minute financial news watched by hedge funds and other professional investors. When you want to monitor mob thinking, this is the site to visit. US Census Bureau U.S. National Debt Clock The bipartisan betrayal. Wikipedia There is no link, since this is a public service announcement. If you do a word search on Google, Wikipedia will usually be the first thing that pops up. Yet from behavioral finance to structured finance, your financial IQ will almost certainly drop for having read it. |
Janet
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