Week in Review: On Wall Street, a New Tone With Old Tactics

WEEK IN VERSE Mitt Romney told Parade that he enjoys The Killers. Now he can listen to them perform “Mr. Brightside.”

A look back on our reporting of the past week's highs and lows in finance.

After sharing a group hug on Wednesday morning, financiers have moved on to appraising the ramifications of four more years with a president that they have vilified.

With the balance of power unchanged, major changes in financial regulation are unlikely.

New faces won't necessarily mean new tactics. At the Financial Services Roundtable, Steve Bartlett's Dallas twang will be replaced by the Tim Pawlenty's southern Minnesotan drawl. But the strategy of attacking parts of Dodd-Frank, rather that its entirety, is expected to remain.

“A central goal, lobbyists say, is to tame unfinished rules that rein in derivatives trading,” Ben Protess and Jessica Silver-Greenberg reported. “Wall Street, in particula r, is preparing a lobbying frenzy over plans to apply derivatives rules to American banks trading overseas.”

Other efforts by banking lobbyists that will play out over President Obama's second term include:

• Lawsuits by business trade groups against parts of Dodd-Frank, including the Volcker Rule.
• Attempts to influence the selection of more Wall Street-friendly regulators, including the Treasury Department, the Federal Reserve, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

It may take several years to reveal the impact of these efforts to roll back financial regulation and even an apparrent victory could have unforeseen consequences. Wall Street, for example, has been able sway Mr. Obama's selection of regulators in the past. His first choice to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was pushed back by Republicans and is now the senator-elect from Massachusetts.

Priceline to Buy Kayak S oftware in $1.8 Billion Cash-Stock Deal | “The acquisition, the largest in Priceline's history, could provide a new source of revenue for the company,” William Alden reported. DealBook '

In Combination of Services, Stifel Financial to Buy KBW for $575 Million | The deal gives Stifel a foothold in the lucrative business of advising financial institutions. Peter Lattman and Michael J. de la Merced report that it signals what many think could be the beginning of a period of consolidation in the financial services industry. DealBook '

Nike Is Said to Be Near Deal to Sell Cole Haan | The athletic shoe and apparel giant is negotiating with Apax Partners on a $500 million deal. Mr. Lattman reports that the company is looking to streamline its product offerings. DealBook '

Société Générale Profit Plunged in Third Quarter | The big French bank said its bottom line was hurt by one-time charges that included a cost of 389 million euros for revaluing its own de bt, David Jolly reported. DealBook '

Profit at Big French Bank Doubles to Hit $1.7 Billion | BNP Paribas noted that results were flattered by comparison to the year-earlier period, when a sovereign debt crisis in Greece, Mr. Jolly reported. DealBook '

Big Bet Sours, Imperiling Small Firm | Rochdale, a small brokerage firm in Connecticut, is barely hanging on after one of its traders placed a billion-dollar bet on Apple stock that did not pay off, Susanne Craig and Mr. Lattman reported. DealBook '

Deal Maker for Morgan Is Eased Out | Behind the move was a desire to squeeze more money out of the bank's sales and trading business, which has suffered as the bank has pulled back on taking risk, Mr. de la Merced and Ms. Craig reported. DealBook '

Mr. Kelleher's power within the bank will be rivaled only by Greg Fleming, who oversees the wealth and asset management units, and James Gorman, the chief executive.

Bonuses on Wall S t. Expected to Edge Up | The increase in year-end incentives will come on top of one of the worst years for bank pay in recent memory, Ms. Craig reported. DealBook '

Jury Is Told Ex-UBS Trader Was Made a Scapegoat for Bank's Woes | During closing arguments in the eight-week court case, the defense attorney, said that the allegations against Kweku M. Adoboli represented a “character assassination” that failed to highlight the role of UBS' management in condoning his trading activity, Mark Scott reported. DealBook '

• Ex-UBS Trader Accused of ‘Playing God' With Bank's Money | The lead prosecutor said that Mr. Adoboli had “arrogantly” sidestepped the firm's rules and carried out risky trading activity from 2008 to 2011. DealBook '

Britain Opens Inquiry on HSBC Accounts in a Tax Haven | The British tax authorities said that they were looking into a list of HSBC clients with bank accounts in the tax haven of Jersey, Julia Werdigier reported. DealBook '

• HSBC May Face Charges in a Laundering Inquiry | The British bank acknowledged that its exposure to an industrywide investigation had swelled as it disclosed that it could face criminal charges in the United States, Mr. Scott and Ms. Silver-Greenberg reported. DealBook '

News Analysis: Obama Faces Tough Choice on Housing in 2nd Term | Peter Eavis writes that “the best person to fundamentally change how housing works may be a president who won't be running for office again.” DealBook '

“I think Obama is absolutely committed to reducing the government's role,” said Thomas Lawler, a former chief economist at Fannie Mae and founder of Lawler Economic and Housing Consulting, an industry analysis firm. “But no one's yet found a format to do that.”

• On Wall Street, Time to Mend Fences With Obama | Few industries have made such a one-sided bet as Wall Street did in opposing President Obama and supp orting his Republican rival, Ms. Craig and Nicholas Confessore reported. DealBook '
• On Wall Street, Suddenly Making Nice With Obama After Backing Romney | Lobbyists are likely to soften their approach, even as Wall Street pushes to temper rules and influence the makeup of crucial Congressional committees and regulatory agencies, Ben Protess and Jessica Silver-Greenberg reported. DealBook '
• Deal Professor: Wall St. Offers a Second Career for Former Politicians | Steven M. Davidoff says that Wall Street likes former politicians for lots of reasons. DealBook '
• DealBook Column: The Election Won't Solve All Puzzles | Andrew Ross Sorkin says that the economy and markets are likely to face more uncertainty, not less, over the coming year. DealBook '

France and Belgium Provide Dexia Bailout | The two governments said that they would inject an additional 5.5 billion euros, in an acknowledgment that Dexia's finances had continued to deteriorate sinc e the bank was first rescued in the 2008 financial crisis, Mr. Jolly reported. DealBook '