Those Imaginative MBAs
The story with the quote comparing “synthetic CDOs” with unicorns can be found in The New York Times here. The article is from November – just a few days after the original run of Socks and Barney ended and it just begged to be in a strip. I still can’t believe that of all the imaginary creatures that could be compared to these bogus financial non-assets, that a pure, unsullied unicorn would come to mind. I would’ve thought a Jackalope, Chupacabra or Poltergeist might’ve been more appropriate – something more mischievous or associated with swindlers. If you don’t know who P.T. Barnum is, he was the showman and founder of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus remembered for his hoaxes and though he never uttered the phrase, “There’s a sucker born every minute,” he certainly embodied the idea.
I’ve read quite a bit about CDOs and Credit Default Swaps and many other of the financial instruments and institutions involved in the collapse and tried to boil down my understanding of synthetic CDOs in the first panel. If any economists want to correct any errors, post a note or pop me an e-mail. 
– Steve
Stumble it!
January 9th, 2009 at 11:52 am
Your skill for ridiculing dumb quotes is unmatched. Glad to see Socks & Barney reincarnated.
January 12th, 2009 at 9:16 am
Thanks Chris!