Every action taken by federal regulators against large, systemically-important financial firms — those commonly referred to as “too big to fail” — will be made public, House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank told the Huffington Post. This is a sharp break from current practice. Currently, federal banking regulators can secretly get banks to modify their behavior and practices

I read today that McDonald’s has pulled out of Iceland. The decision to withdraw is a combination of rising costs due to the weak Kronar against the German Mark (all products for McDonad’s in Iceland come from Germany) and the inability to hike prices a further 20% to recoup losses. To raise prices would have made the Big Mac in Iceland the most expensive in the world.

According to “The Shriver Report: A Women’s Nation Changes Everything” we women have finally made it. Although the report focuses mainly on women with families, it tells us that women are now 50 percent of the paid workforce.


 
 MetLife Inc. on Thursday reported a loss for the third quarter, driven by $1.4 billion in investment losses. The investment losses were primarily related to complex investments known as derivatives, which are used to hedge a number of risks, including changes in interest rates and foreign currencies.


 
 The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Inc. could be given the power to oversee the registered investment advisory business of registered broker-dealers under an amendment to the Investor Protection Act. The amendment, sponsored by House Financial Services Committee ranking member Spencer Bachus (R-Ala.), was added to the bill as the committee marked it up late Wednesday

The deck is stacked against airline and railroad workers when it comes to union elections. That’s why airline CEOs are working so hard to defend current election procedures that count all workers who sit out elections as “no” votes. Americans are accustomed to elections where a simple majority of those voting decides the outcome — whether they’re voting for PTA president or U.S.


 
 As the rest of the investment world gravitates toward red-hot emerging markets, Abhay Deshpande, co-manager of First Eagle Global Fund, is asserting that Japan actually may be the place to invest. Compared with U.S. and European equities, “Japanese stocks appear to be much cheaper,” he said in an interview, adding that he suspects the Japanese markets hit their bottom in March.