SMITH BRAIN TRUST — Global markets have fallen into a crisis that reminds George Soros of 2008, the billionaire i

By David B. Sicilia

The University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business is a co-host for ‘a conversation’ with Council on Foreign Relations Co-Chairman Robert Rubin on Tuesday, Dec. 8, at 4 p.m. in the Gildenhorn Theatre at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. UMD economics professor John Haltiwanger will moderate the discussion on “The U.S. Economy: Short- and Long-Term Outlook Challenges.”

​The Robert H. Smith School of Business is partnering with the Office of Financial Research on a  challenge for research teams to link four disparate financial datasets.

SMITH BRAIN TRUST -- Nonbank mortgage lender LoanDepot cited "market conditions" for postponing an initial public offering of as much as $540 million of stock. "It begs the question of whether this a rewind to the (2008 subprime mortgage) precrisis period," says finance professor

SMITH BRAIN TRUST — Last week, Fed chairwoman Janet Yellen said that raising interest rates before the end of the year was "a live possibility," given what she described as the relatively strong performance by the economy.

SMITH BRAIN TRUST — Two massive drug companies, New York-based Pfizer and Dublin-based Allergan (maker of Botox), are discussing a merger that could end up being the biggest in a year of blockbuster combinations: The new company would have a market value of more than $300 billion.

Professor of Finance Russ Wermers at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business recently gave the keynote speech for the for the fourth annual Luxembourg Asset Management Summit.

SMITH BRAIN TRUST — When the stock market plunged more than 1,000 points in the first minutes of August 25, later rebounding for "only" a 588-point loss that day, did well-intended financial regulations contribute to the volatility? 

International markets have seen some tumultuous times lately. Much of the volatility stems from economic trouble in China, spilling over to other regions. In this edition of Smith Business Close-Up, host Jeff Salkin visits the Smith School to discuss market volatility with Kristen Fanarakis, assistant director of the Center for Financial Policy.