June, 2019

Archive

A Good Start…

Financial risks due to climate change are receiving more attention of late, particularly for investors and regulators, but how far along are firms in addressing the issues? A report on climate risk management at financial firms tabled on June 28, 2019, sponsored by the Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP), answers the question with its subtitle: “A Good Start, But More Work to Do.” The report is co-authored by Jo Paisley, Co-President, and Maxine Nelson, Senior Vice President at GARP. “Our sample covered 20 banks and seven other financial institutions … from across the globe. These firms have a global […]

More Leaves than Grapes?

Who says the market on old books is in a downward spiral? Luca Pacioli wrote the definitive treatise Summa de Arithmetica, Geometrisa, Proportioni et Proportionalita and published it in Venice in 1494. On June 12, 2019, Christie’s put up one copy for auction. (The starting price was one million USD; it eventually sold for 1.2 million USD.) Experts estimate 120 copies of this book still exist. An image of a typical page, reproduced here, shows its type font is somewhat less readable than the modern accounting textbook. Summa de Arithmetica was widely read and used at the time. It contains real-life examples, […]