One of the results of the financial meltdown of 2008 was that banks will now be required to pass "stress tests," simulations of various difficult financial situations, administered by the Federal Reserve. In this video, Motley Fool financial analysts Morgan Housel and Matt Koppenheffer discuss how useful stress tests are, and tell us that the most important part of the process investors need to be watching is whether or not the Fed allows the bank being tested to return capital to its shareholders, through methods such as dividends or stock buybacks.
What these bank stress tests mean for investors.
About the Author
Morgan Housel is the best-selling author of The Psychology of Money and Same as Ever. A former economics and finance columnist for Fool.com and analyst for Motley Fool One, he currently serves as a partner at The Collaborative Fund and on the board of directors at Markel.