With more deals--and therefore more advisers, lawyers and other people with inside knowledgeof what is to come--regulators are concerned that material information is leaking out and being used improperly.
By tacking on an obstruction charge, a defendant is much more likely to accept a plea bargain, regardless of whether he or she traded on material, insider knowledge.
These modern methods bring a far broader range ofmaterial and, even more important for those keen on knowledge, far more possibilities for lateral thinking.
My knowledgeof macroeconomics is limited to what I learned during Econ 101 at NYU and the lessons that were covered in the material I was required to read in order to complete the demanding CFA program.