The wealth of the Forbes 400
In the past year, the cumulative net worth of the Forbes 400 list—the 400 wealthiest Americans—rose by $200 billion. A fortune of $1.1 billion was necessary to make the list. Last year, the median U.S. household income, adjusted for inflation, dropped by 1.5 percent, to $50,054.The New York Times
Salaries at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Approximately 60 percent of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s 958 employees make more than $100,000 a year. Five percent of its employees earn $200,000 or more annually.
The Wall Street Journal
The most popular PINs
The three most popular four-digit PINs are 1234, 1111, and 0000, which account for nearly 20 percent of all four-digit pass codes, according to an analysis of millions of passwords by data analysis firm Data Genetics. The least popular PIN is 8068.
Slate.com
Out-of-control trading
High-frequency trading is in desperate need of better controls, according to a new report by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. In a survey of 30 firms involved in high-frequency trading, traders admitted that speed is more important to their operations than market safety and that they’ve recently experienced a rash of out-of-control computer algorithms.
CNBC.com
Setting benchmark interest rates
Fewer than half of the world’s benchmark interest rates—which might affect credit cards in China or mortgages in Mumbai—are based on actual transactions. The remainder are set in a manner similar to the Libor interest rate, with few controls and minimal transparency, making them vulnerable to manipulation.
New York magazine
