The New York Times reports that the White House will publicly disclose the results of the stress tests of the 19 biggest banks in the country.
The obvious reason for not disclosing the results of the stress test is the fear that it could lead to a self-fulfilling prophesy: Banks deemed to be poorly positioned for a prolonged economic downturn will experience withdrawals, fleeing employees and less access to credit, making them more likely to fail -- or at least threatening their ability to compete.