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BOOK
The New Masters of Capital: American Bond Rating Agencies and the Politics of Creditworthiness (Cornell Studies in Political Economy)
Timothy J. Sinclair
$13.96

About this product:
In The New Masters of Capital, Timothy J. Sinclair examines a key aspect of the global economy--the rating agencies. In the global economy, trust is formalized in the daily operations of such firms as Moody's and Standard & Poor's, which continuously monitor the financial health of bond-issuers ranging from private corporations to local and national governments. Their judgments affect unimaginably large sums, approximately $30 trillion in outstanding debt issues, according to a recent Moody's estimate. The difference between an AA and a BB rating may cost millions of dollars in interest payments or determine if a corporation or government can even issue bonds

Without bond rating agencies, there would be no standard means to compare risks in the global economy, and international investment would be problematic. Most observers assume that the agencies are neutral and scientific, and that they interpret their role in narrowly economic terms. But these agencies, by their nature, wield extraordinary power and exert massive influence over public policy. Sinclair offers a highly accessible account of these institutions, their origins, and the rating processes they use to judge creditworthiness. Illustrated with a wide range of cases, this book offers a fresh assessment of the role of an often-overlooked institution in the dynamics of modern global capitalism.

BOOK
Confidence Game: How a Hedge Fund Manager Called Wall Street's Bluff
Christine Richard
$18.45

About this product:
The collapse of America’s credit markets in 2008 is quite possibly the biggest financial disaster in U.S. history. Confidence Game: How a Hedge Fund Manager Called Wall Street’s Bluff is the story of Bill Ackman's six-year campaign to warn that the $2.5 trillion bond insurance business was a catastrophe waiting to happen. Branded a fraud by the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times and investigated by Eliot Spitzer and the Securities and Exchange Commission, Ackman later made his investors more than $1 billion when bond insurers kicked off the collapse of the credit markets.

• Unravels the story of the credit crisis through an engaging and human drama
• Draws on unprecedented access to one of Wall Street's best-known investors
• Shows how excessive leverage, dangerous financial models and a blind reliance on triple-A credit ratings sent Wall Street careening toward disaster

Confidence Game is a real-world "Emperor's New Clothes," a tale of widespread delusion and one dissenting voice in the era leading up to the worst financial disaster since the Great Depression.

Christine Richard is a reporter with Bloomberg News whose work has been recognized by The New York Press Club and The Newswomen’s Club of New York.

BOOK
Higher Bond Yields: The Triple-A Advantage of Insured Municipal Bonds
Diana L. York
$69.50

About this product:
Today, 40 percent of the nearly $300 billion of new-issue bonds sell with an insurance policy which gives them a Triple-A rating from all major rating agencies. Yet, "natural" Triple-A bonds--those that don't carry this added protection--are valued higher in the marketplace. Godfrey investigates this anomaly and proves to investors that insured Triple-A bonds are actually the best buy.