The slogans sound ominous, like an advertisement for the latest Marvel Universe sequel or a first-person shooter video game. “STOP Basel III Endgame.” Arguments against it are all over social media and podcasts (at least the nerdy financial ones I listen to), and even an NFL game this fall. So, like, can I buy this at GameStop? Alas, it’s not as exciting as they’re making it sound. But I think I can make it seem less mysterious and ominous. Basel III Endgame is simply a set of proposals to...

Among the biggest business casualties of the COVID-19 era are hotels. Can you imagine trying to keep a hotel afloat right now? Bad times are here. Bad times are ahead. Business travel is at a trickle. Many conventions are on indefinite hold. The summer tourist season was a bust. Winter, traditionally slower than summer, is coming. Given a choice between an Airbnb or a hotel stay, travelers may opt this year for the former to avoid sharing lobbies, elevators and air ventilation systems. That...

In this monthly charting column, full-time trader Michael Taylor reveals three stocks that he reckons could see fireworks in the month ahead. When I first started trading I thought it (and I) was brilliant – mainly because I did so well. Although this was due to a bubbly market rather than any actual skill on my part. But humans have a tendency to overestimate our skill when performing well, and attribute failure to rotten luck. I am hesitant to name any actual companies in this period as 1)...

The hotel business has never been worse than it is right now. After a period of not paying their debts, some owners face the existential threat of losing their properties. And maybe more. Employees, obviously, face furloughs, firings and reduced hours. Lenders to hotels also have a series of terrible choices to make in the next six to 12 months. Compared to this, the mortgage crisis of 2008 seems quaint. Back then, just the home owner and banker had to come to terms. It was simple. But with a...

Things should be tough for banks right now. With COVID causing concentrated pain in many industries, banks are dealing with borrowers asking for loan forbearance, worries about loan portfolio quality, and a lot of uncertainty around the future. Could you blame them for hunkering down and trying to ride out the storm? So it is encouraging, exciting even, to learn of a bank that is working to make the most of the moment. TransPecos Banks is making its move. In April, small businesses scrambled...