Professor Elam

Monday Jan 18, 2016

The new Showtime Series Billions   

features a battle of wills between a billionaire Hedge Fund Manager and the US Atty General for the Southern district of New York.

Click the link for the factual background and you can watch the premier episode. I did and wondered if all the sophisticated talk about trading would

put off the average viewer. But I believe our students can learn form this program particularly if they follow up and investigate what the characters are discussing. For example,

what is a block trade?

In the first show an attorney from the SEC wants the Atty General to prosecute and insider trading case. But the Atty General has had like 81 straight successful prosecutions. He gets to pick and choose the cases he pursues. So unless it is just a slam dunk can't miss, he will not prosecute. I saw this as a Bankruptcy Trustee. One might get the impression watching most tv and movies that

all these Federal employees are ready to jump into action at the slightest suggestion of trouble. It is just the opposite, it is CYA time all the time and unless they are assured of success nothing happens. Recall Coleen Rowley's comments about no one at the FBI connecting the dots of student at flight schools only wanting to learn to take off in a plane….

Sunday Nights on showtime at 9 PM CST