http://www.ft.com/comment/columnists/johngapperhttp://www.ft.com/rss/comment/columnist/johngapperFT.com - John Gapperen© Copyright The Financial Times Ltd 2009. "FT" and "Financial Times" are trademarks of the Financial Times. See http://www.ft.com/servicestools/help/terms#legal1 for the terms and conditions of reuse.client.support@ft.com (Client Support)Wed, 4 Nov 2009 20:01:10 +0000Tue, 10 Nov 2009 02:55:34 +0000Newspapers60http://news.ft.com/cms/d1f3ce1a-6bbe-11da-bb53-0000779e2340.gifhttp://www.ft.com/comment/columnists/johngapper(PICS-1.1 "http://www.classify.org/safesurf/" L gen true for "http://www.ft.com/" r (SS~~000 1))http://traxfer.ft.com/cms/s/0/2141da9c-c977-11de-a071-00144feabdc0.html?o=%2Frss%2Fcomment%2Fcolumnist%2Fjohngapperhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2141da9c-c977-11de-a071-00144feabdc0.htmlBuying a railroad is a sound way to gain cash dividends, and broad exposure to companies that need coal and freight, but not to invest in innovation, writes John Gapper Wed, 4 Nov 2009 20:01:10 +0000http://traxfer.ft.com/cms/s/0/a41cbcba-c8b5-11de-8f9d-00144feabdc0.html?o=%2Frss%2Fcomment%2Fcolumnist%2Fjohngapperhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a41cbcba-c8b5-11de-8f9d-00144feabdc0.htmlSize aside, Berkshire Hathaway's proposed acquisition of Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad is about as typical a Warren Buffett deal as they come, writes John Gapper Tue, 3 Nov 2009 20:56:42 +0000http://traxfer.ft.com/cms/s/0/5d4a248a-c400-11de-8de6-00144feab49a.html?o=%2Frss%2Fcomment%2Fcolumnist%2Fjohngapperhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/5d4a248a-c400-11de-8de6-00144feab49a.htmlAndrew Ross Sorkin's book on the financial crisis of 2008 is an extraordinary achievement that will be hard to surpass as the definitive account, writes John Gapper Wed, 28 Oct 2009 22:39:18 +0000http://traxfer.ft.com/cms/s/0/a11e34ac-c3fc-11de-8de6-00144feab49a.html?o=%2Frss%2Fcomment%2Fcolumnist%2Fjohngapperhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a11e34ac-c3fc-11de-8de6-00144feab49a.htmlBy insisting on the break-up of the ING Group into its banking and insurance divisions – and on it divesting its US direct savings arm – EU competition commissioner Neelie Kroes set a welcome precedent this week. But will any country be brave enough to enact a Kroes-like split on financial institutions, asks John Gapper Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:37:06 +0000http://traxfer.ft.com/cms/s/0/4098f426-be6d-11de-b4ab-00144feab49a.html?o=%2Frss%2Fcomment%2Fcolumnist%2Fjohngapperhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4098f426-be6d-11de-b4ab-00144feab49a.htmlIt might sap some resentment if taxpayers could see that Goldman's bonuses were a form of equity partnership, and that the bank would be allowed to founder in any future crisis, writes John Gapper Wed, 21 Oct 2009 22:09:48 +0100http://traxfer.ft.com/cms/s/0/bb9b743e-b8f3-11de-98ee-00144feab49a.html?o=%2Frss%2Fcomment%2Fcolumnist%2Fjohngapperhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/bb9b743e-b8f3-11de-98ee-00144feab49a.htmlHaving taken government money to survive the crash, Goldman Sachs is in such rude health that it will be handing out billions in bonuses. There is much outrage that the US bank wants to carry on as its old self (but bigger) in a world that has changed, writes John Gapper Wed, 14 Oct 2009 22:34:39 +0100http://traxfer.ft.com/cms/s/0/cf98eba4-b387-11de-ae8d-00144feab49a,dwp_uuid=aa814f68-146e-11de-8cd1-0000779fd2ac.html?o=%2Frss%2Fcomment%2Fcolumnist%2Fjohngapperhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/cf98eba4-b387-11de-ae8d-00144feab49a.htmlThere may be someone out there who will become the 21st-century equivalent of Bertelsmann's Reinhard Mohn, a modest entrepreneur who crossed technological and social boundaries to create a media empire. But we shall not see his like again, writes John Gapper Wed, 7 Oct 2009 22:47:35 +0100http://traxfer.ft.com/cms/s/0/0e305e02-ae0a-11de-87e7-00144feabdc0.html?o=%2Frss%2Fcomment%2Fcolumnist%2Fjohngapperhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0e305e02-ae0a-11de-87e7-00144feabdc0.htmlBanks have found corporate allies in their battle to stop the tough new rules proposed for derivatives, including demanding that standard contracts are traded on an exchange. But they must not be allowed to derail the regulations, writes John Gapper Wed, 30 Sep 2009 22:54:02 +0100http://traxfer.ft.com/cms/s/0/227734b6-a870-11de-9242-00144feabdc0.html?o=%2Frss%2Fcomment%2Fcolumnist%2Fjohngapperhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/227734b6-a870-11de-9242-00144feabdc0.htmlBanks should write their own living wills, making them safer in life and easier to dispose of in death. Enforcing wills could be both a sound discipline and help with the 'too big to fail' problem by reducing the advantages of being big, writes John Gapper Wed, 23 Sep 2009 20:22:05 +0100http://traxfer.ft.com/cms/s/0/4d60e0b0-7705-11de-b23c-00144feabdc0.html?o=%2Frss%2Fcomment%2Fcolumnist%2Fjohngapperhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4d60e0b0-7705-11de-b23c-00144feabdc0.htmlIt is necessary to have tough restrictions on systemically important banks deemed 'too big to fail' and impose a much bigger regulatory 'tax' on large banks than small ones, through higher capital charges and stricter limits on leverage, writes John Gapper Wed, 22 Jul 2009 22:42:58 +0100http://traxfer.ft.com/cms/s/2/0411afae-70dc-11de-9717-00144feabdc0.html?o=%2Frss%2Fcomment%2Fcolumnist%2Fjohngapperhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/0411afae-70dc-11de-9717-00144feabdc0.htmlJohn Gapper meets Charlie Gasparino, the CNBC reporter who has broken many stories about the financial crisis, and discovers why everybody listens when he talksSat, 18 Jul 2009 01:54:21 +0100http://traxfer.ft.com/cms/s/0/16b1e206-7171-11de-a821-00144feabdc0.html?o=%2Frss%2Fcomment%2Fcolumnist%2Fjohngapperhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/16b1e206-7171-11de-a821-00144feabdc0.htmlThe Asus Eee and rival netbooks made by Taiwan companies have converted consumers and caused havoc in the personal computer industry, reducing revenues and margins at both software and hardware companies, writes John Gapper Wed, 15 Jul 2009 22:35:26 +0100http://traxfer.ft.com/cms/s/0/76468ef2-6d79-11de-8b19-00144feabdc0.html?o=%2Frss%2Fcomment%2Fcolumnist%2Fjohngapperhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/76468ef2-6d79-11de-8b19-00144feabdc0.htmlRupert Murdoch has been hit by accusations of phone-hacking by his British tabloids, hurting the reputation he has been building in the US through proper journalism at The Wall Street Journal, writes John Gapper Fri, 10 Jul 2009 18:50:38 +0100http://traxfer.ft.com/cms/s/0/6b9c7234-6be7-11de-9320-00144feabdc0.html?o=%2Frss%2Fcomment%2Fcolumnist%2Fjohngapperhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/6b9c7234-6be7-11de-9320-00144feabdc0.htmlInvestment banks are hitting back at boutiques by giving top performers the status they crave, as the growing complexity of deals means more seasoned advisers are needed, writes John Gapper. But don't expect it to lastWed, 8 Jul 2009 19:06:10 +0100http://traxfer.ft.com/cms/s/0/ff790790-6667-11de-a034-00144feabdc0.html?o=%2Frss%2Fcomment%2Fcolumnist%2Fjohngapperhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ff790790-6667-11de-a034-00144feabdc0.htmlThe 71-year-old fraudster's conduct was indefensible and he deserved what he got, writes John Gapper. But the case was unusual Wed, 1 Jul 2009 19:07:07 +0100