Ben Bernanke

  • 17 Nov 2010 at 10:45 AM

Charlie Gasparino: Lay Off Ben Bernanke, Lay On Obama

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Charles Gasparino is just going to cut right to the chase– he’s seen that YouTube clip. You know the one, with the bears talkin’ economics and calling the chairman of the Federal Reserve “The Ben Bernank”? Someone sent it to him the other day and not just some pissant from a bucket shop on Long Island but a real live BSD.

I should point out that I was told to download the YouTube video not by some dopey trader during a slow day in the markets, but by a CEO in New York City who runs one of the biggest financial firms in the world. Bernanke’s senior staff has seen it too, I’m told, though a spokesman wouldn’t say whether the chairman has. “This video is going fucking viral,” the CEO told me with a laugh.

You know who’s not laughing? Charles Gasparino. After he got the clip to work (there were a few false starts and he didn’t have the volume turned on) he became filled with rage at these furry little shits. Read more »

  • 15 Nov 2010 at 12:50 PM

PIMCO’s Paul McCulley Tells Bernanke To Not Let The “Bastards” Grind Him Down

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Earlier today, PIMCO managing director Paul McCulley took to the company blog to offer a word of congratulations to Ben Bernanke. “Bravo, Ben,” McCulley, a fan of QE2, wrote. How has the mustachioed investor come to the conclusion that the Fed’s program is the right move for the economy? It passed his litmus test when it was panned in equal measure by both smart, savvy individuals and Sarah Palin. Sayeth McCulley:

It brings me great angst to observe professional critics – many of them acquaintances and friends of mine – rhetorically beating Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke about the head and shoulders for launching QE2. At the same time, the fact that Sarah Palin has joined the chorus brings me great joy. If what Ben is doing offends both the learned and the unlearned, then he is clearly acting unconventionally relative to orthodoxy. And this is good, very good.

So just, you know, get on board. And if you can’t get on board, just shut the hell up and take it. This is happening, so buckle up. Read more »

  • 12 Nov 2010 at 10:49 AM

Nassim Taleb: Ben Bernanke Doesn’t Understand Risk

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“Did Ben Bernanke see the crisis?” Nassim Taleb asked on Bloomberg TV today. “No,” Taleb answered himself, “He was flying the plane and he crashed the plane…[Bernanke] reminds me of the LTCM people. They had brilliant people with great academic records and they blew up the fund and almost blew up Wall Street…Bernanke is someone who talks about returns without talking about risk. It’s identical to a pilot who is talking about speed — not talking about safety. The measures he is using, this quantitative easing, may work but should it fail the risks are humongous.” Read more »

  • 24 Sep 2010 at 5:27 PM

Ben Bernanke, Trendsetter?

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Ben Bernanke, December 16, 2009: “I’ve got a driver’s license, my American Express card, a debit card, a Jos. [A.] Bank card where I get my suits, I have a health insurance card. And then I have a variety of other cards, phone numbers, United Airlines, frequent flyer. And I have $45…$75…$85. I’m all set.” Read more »

  • 27 Aug 2010 at 10:25 AM

Bernanke: “We have come a long way, but there is still some way to travel.”

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Things look, you know bad, but really, nothing is fucked. Read more »

  • 30 Jul 2010 at 4:42 PM

Bernanke Portfolio Bouncing Back!

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Someone’s gonna be splurging at Jos A. Bank tonight. Read more »

  • 17 May 2010 at 11:46 AM

We’ve Finally Discovered Ben Bernanke And Alan Greenspan’s One Shared Interest

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Facial hair, of the ‘stache variety. One used to have an epic handlebar, as evidenced by his Harvard yearbook photo and the other wears a fake and goes around asking Deutsche Bank investor relations bunnies if he can interest them in a ride. Read more »

  • 25 Feb 2010 at 1:13 PM

Ben Bernanke Taking A Look At Greece

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Ben Bernanke is looking into Goldman’s Greek shenanigans, which may or may not have been strictly kosher- depending on if you pray at the House of LB or the house of Taibbi. The deals were brokered in 2001, so yeah, nine years seem about a reasonable amount of time for the Fed to start worrying. Bernanke, testifying this morning before the Senate Banking Committee, said that the ever-so-quick-to-take kids over at the SEC don’t want to miss on the action either. They’re “interested in the issue.”

Mr. Bernanke said credit default swaps can be useful in hedging, but added, “obviously using these instruments in a way that intentionally destabilizes a company or country is counterproductive.”

  • 18 Feb 2010 at 10:57 AM

Guess What Ben Bernanke’s Doing In A Few Weeks?

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What he does basically every other day of his life– testifying about what he’s been up to. the House Financial Services Committee on Feb. 24. At this point, the whole thing looks like a creepy version of Groundhog Day, as it seems to be all the Federal Reserve chairman ever does. And we’re starting to feel for the guy, cause what else is left to say? Any suggestions? Advice? Creative feedback? Story pitches for Ben?

  • 09 Feb 2010 at 12:04 PM

Somebody Lend Ben Bernanke A Shovel

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Bernanke won’t be able to testify tomorrow before the House Financial Services Committee on the Fed’s exit strategy, because he’s “snowed in.” Right.
What should Ben do with his snow day, besides snow angels with Timmy?

  • 05 Feb 2010 at 9:55 AM

Does Ben Bernanke Bear A Resemblance To Raj Rajaratnam?

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How about Mikhail Gorbachev?