Tom Petruno

Writer

About

Tom Petruno is a veteran financial writer. His work appears in the Los Angeles Times, Kiplinger’s magazine and elsewhere. He was the financial columnist for the Los Angeles Times from 1990 to 2011. Before that he was markets editor for USA TODAY. Petruno is based in Los Angeles.

Politicians looking at a report Feature / Government

Might More Lobbying Groups, Rather than Fewer, Be Good for Industry and the Public?

Make the influence industry more competitive, a theoretical study suggests

Illustration of two arms shaking hands with skyscrapers in the middle Research Brief / Mergers and Acquisitions

In Some Industries, Are Corporate Combinations Actually Good for Consumers?

A model focuses on startups that, while developing innovative products, seek a lucrative buyout

Illustration of vultures sitting on a sign in a city Research Brief / Debt

Less Leveraged Than the Competition: Ready to Snag Distressed Assets in a Recession

When bad times hit, highly indebted companies often have to sell operations and equipment at fire-sale prices

Illustration of a tower taller than city buildings Research Brief / Corporate Finance

Forgoing a Tax Refund to Signal Brightening Financial Prospects

Companies that use loss carry-forwards to offset future tax liability, instead of claiming a refund, enjoy favorable lending terms

Person looking at a computer screen Research Brief / E-commerce

That Online Hotel Review You Wrote? It Matters

Consumers’ comments on TripAdvisor are substitutes for traditional ad spending

Person in an ICU Research Brief / Health Care

Research: Patients Spent 15 Hours Longer than Necessary in the ICU

Delaying transfers to other inpatient hospital rooms limits availability of costly beds

Illustration of a man pushing a shopping cart Research Brief / Corporate Investment

How to Spur Capital Spending: Plan for Failure

Companies might invest more in new ventures if they could see in advance how to redeploy the assets if things don’t pan out

Illustration of a person pulling a line chart Research Brief / Consumer Lending

Credit Scores, Used to Predict Repayment, Can Restrain Economic Recovery

Rigid adherence to scoring systems can reduce consumer spending when it’s most needed

TV News anchor Research Brief / Politics

Municipal Pension Crisis Made Worse by Democrats in Close Elections

Sixty years of data suggest retirement obligations rise after Democrats scrape into office

A person looking a computer screen with stock ticker Research Brief / Stock Returns

A Tool for Finding Mispriced Stocks

Less sophisticated investors reveal their sentiment in certain trades, and a 20-year study measures it company by company

Illustration of bond certificates as a boat in the ocean filled with water Research Brief / Bond Market

A ‘Safer’ Treasury Bond

The government’s floating rate notes feature an added measure of security: higher interest earnings in times of rising rates

Illustration of people riding a rollercoaster Research Brief / Investing

Rethinking Buy-and-Hold Investing

The case for using rising market volatility as a signal to pare back on stocks — does higher risk always mean higher return?

Monochrome photo of people standing in line for bread Research Brief / Banking

What Makes a True Financial Crisis?

Data back to 1870 show similarities in the worst banking system shocks — focusing on loose lending before a meltdown

Bar and line chart Research Brief / Corporate Finance

What Drives LBO Fever? More Than Just Cheap Loans

Private equity investors weigh the total cost of capital — not just debt, but equity as well — when pursuing buyouts