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Above the law
Some banks have become so big that prosecuting them for illegal activity may erode confidence in the wider financial services industry, according to the future chief of the U.K.'s Prudential Regulation Authority.
While not openly cited, the sentiment appears to be shared in the U.S., where HSBC recently dodged an indictment over money laundering for terrorists and drug cartels.
2012: Year of the bank fine
The past 10 days alone have seen U.K. banks agree to pay $3-billion in collective fines. And the reckoning isn't over yet.
Wall Street is not impressed by CNOOC
CNOOC's analyst ratings have sunk to their lowest level in three years, thanks to its imminent purchase of Nexen Inc., which will escalate production expenses.
Get your wonk on
Here are the 10 best economics papers of 2012.