Week InReview

Weekend Water Cooler
Friday | Mar 23, 2018
The difference between short-dated and longer-dated US Treasury yields narrowed to a level last seen in 2007 on Wednesday, as investors weighed the prospect of a quicker pace of interest rate increases with rising uncertainties over the outlook for global growth (Financial Times | Mar 29)

DC leak culture meets Wall Street's insider cops in a first-of-its-kind trial next week
The capital's "political intelligence" industry is now in federal prosecutors' crosshairs. Hedge funds and other businesses pay consultants, often recent government employees, expecting them to leverage relationships with colleagues still in public service to get a heads-up on government actions that could move markets. (Bloomberg Politics | Mar 29)

Broker watchdogs accused of not shielding investor data
Whistle-blower alleges FINRA regulatory lapses in complaint to SEC; some personal data said to be accessible online for years (Bloomberg Markets | Mar 27)

SEC & Fed decline to challenge CLO retention exemption
Issuance of Collateralized Loan Obligation funds could surge after the Federal Reserve and Securities and Exchange Commission decided not to appeal a February court ruling that exempted the deals from Dodd-Frank 'skin in the game' rules (Reuters | Mar 27)

SEC has some catching up to do on ETFs: division chief
The big questions, according to the Division of Investment Management's Dalia Blass: Should ETF index providers register as investment advisors? And what does 'ETF' really mean these days? (Think Advisor | Mar 26)
The Cyber Cafe
Cybersecurity news every Friday
Clip & Save: SEC cybersecurity guidance (Deloitte analysis)
The tables in this article provide an overview of the SEC's views on cybersecurity disclosure requirements and procedures. They also note how the release affects the SEC staff guidance issued in 2011.

Behavior-tracking security tech gaining traction at banks
Behavioral biometrics - the coding of a user's actions to verify their identity - is painless for customers to use and hard for criminals to spoof. And it's not subject to the same kinds of privacy protection regulations as other biometrics - such as a thumbprint or a retina scan.

Cybersecurity by the numbers: surveys reflect wide range of concerns
Recent surveys and analysis provide fresh insights, from senior management and board of directors not taking cyber threats seriously enough, IoT and mobile security deficiencies, the perennial cybersecurity skills shortage, new types of attacks on consumers and businesses, and the increasing threat of a global cyber war.
Forbes
Binge reading disorder
Hand-curated, chosen with love
What exactly happened on Vol Monday?
The return of market volatility on Monday, Feb. 5, 2018, was dramatic. The 20 point jump in VIX, a traded measure of expected stock market volatility - best thought of as the price of insurance against a market crash - was the largest daily increase since the 1987 stock market crash.

The billionaire whisperer who united Bezos, Buffett and Dimon 
Todd Combs was crucial in getting their health-care deal off the ground. Up next: Find a CEO to run the venture.

Most people are bad at arguing. These 2 techniques will make you better.
Argue better - with science: Our brains work hard to ensure the integrity of our worldview. But it's not impossible to make your argument stick.
- Vox