Eric Posner

Financial Rule-Makers Must Learn to Use Their Calculators

Believe it or not, U.S. financial regulators don’t have to calculate the economic impact of the rules they write. It’s an omission they should correct before it becomes a serious obstacle to fixing the financial system.

An FDA for Securities Could Help Avert Crises

In February, Mary Schapiro, chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, said the agency is looking for ways to rein in high-frequency traders. That is, the people who use computer algorithms to buy and sell derivatives at lightning speed to make instantaneous profits.

Derivatives Lobby Has U.S. Regulators on the Run

The derivatives industry is squeezing Washington like a python. Desperate to control the tone and thrust of derivatives regulation, industry lobbyists have been swarming over the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission, each of which is writing derivatives rules as mandated by the Dodd-Frank reform law.

Democrats Resort to Magical Thinking on Obamacare

In the span of one week, Democrats went from dismissing the possibility that the Supreme Court would strike down the 2010 law mandating individuals to buy health insurance to consoling themselves that any such action would have a silver lining.

Myanmar’s Exchange Rates Mean More Than Election Results

The parliamentary election wins of Aung San Suu Kyi and her party weren’t necessarily the best news out of Myanmar in the past week.

U.S. Economy Needs Stimulus, Not Soothsayers

Here’s something you don’t often hear an economist admit: We have very little idea where the economy will be next year.

Rubio’s Half Dream Still an Immigration Nightmare

Stirrings in the Senate Republican caucus suggest that some members are seeking a way to smooth the party’s bumpy relations with Hispanic voters.

Wisconsin’s Primary Political Concern: Scott Walker

The political excitement in Wisconsin is not about today’s presidential primary.

Washington Whiffs at U.S. Foreclosure Mess: Douglas Holtz-Eakin

There is little doubt that the U.S. housing market is hurting; the latest S&P Case-Shiller index shows residential values declined 4.2 percent in the first quarter compared with the previous three months.

Five Years After Crisis, No Normal Recovery

With the U.S. economy yielding firmer data, some researchers are beginning to argue that recoveries from financial crises might not be as different from the aftermath of conventional recessions as our analysis suggests. Their case is unconvincing.

U.S. Stocks Little Changed as Investors Weigh Output Data

Singapore Police Accessed Todd’s Hard Drive, FBI Says

Squeezed Tesla Bears Buying $276 Million Hand Musk 146% Gain

Google Is Said to Plan Music Service That Rivals Spotify

WTI Crude Near Two-Week Low; Europe Probes Oil Pricing