Synthesis and Conclusion

This chapter begins with a synthesis of key themes, covering derivatives, debt instruments, and structured notes. It considers the case study Securities and Exchange Commission v. Goldman, Sachs & Co. & Fabrice Tourre. It then describes the Erlanger “cotton” bonds issued by the Confederate States of America to raise money during the Civil War. This is followed by discussions on range notes, internal leverage and market risk, and risks (interest rate risk, liquidity risk, reinvestment risk). The chapter concludes by describing the bulletin issued by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency on May 22, 2002, to all national bank CEOs and all federal branches and agencies in regard to risky “yield-chasing” strategies that were returning to the markets.