Smith Brain Trust

Business schools might seem safely removed from the transformation happening across corporate America. They're not. Institutions like mine play a central role in shaping attitudes about gender in the workplace

For Wells Fargo, the Fed's stringent sanctions last week undoubtedly come as a bit of a blow. For the rest of the banking industry, more of a warning. "This is a supervisory slapdown in a major," says the Smith School's Clifford Rossi.

Wall Street has garnered a reputation for its high salaries. Analysts, policymakers and academics have chided the industry, accusing it of helping to distort the "efficient allocation of talent." Smith School experts break down that criticism.

For those who listen closely to what Warren Buffett says, the announcement that Berkshire Hathaway was hooking up with Amazon.com and JPMorgan Chase to create an independent healthcare company didn't come as a big surprise.

Smith School experts bring you their fantasy M&A league — a list of potential tie-ups and explanations about what makes each one interesting. Imagine CVS teaming with 23andMe, or Daimler with Tesla, or Hilton with Airbnb.

Are these the end of days for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac? Lawmakers are considering whether to close the chapter on conservatorship for the two government-sponsored enterprises, a move that could bring big changes to housing finance in the United States.

2017 was a pretty happy year for stock investors, and the Smith School's David Kass says he expects 2018 to be rosy as well. He shares his top five picks: Berkshire Hathaway, Apple, Wells Fargo, Bank of America and Kraft Heinz.

When the Smith School's Cliff Rossi was chief risk officer for Citigroup's Consumer Lending Division, few people understood the role. Things have changed since then. Rossi explains the evolution and what's next.

With three or four Fed rate hikes anticipated in 2018, mortgage rates will edge higher. But the borrowing environment will remain favorable, Smith School professor Clifford Rossi says. He takes a look at the housing market as we head into a new year.

Bitcoin continued to defy gravity this week, even as many prepared to watch it plunge. And no one seems quite sure why. The Smith School's Albert "Pete" Kyle says he believes the cryptocurrency's plunge is inevitable. It may just be a bit delayed.