Futures (Cedar Falls, IA) articles from December 2006

Futures (Cedar Falls, IA) archives from December 2006

Boy are times a--changin'.(EDITOR'S NOTE)
December 1, 2006... The announcement of the proposed merger between the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) and Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) was one of the best kept secrets in the industry. I learned while eating breakfast the day it was announced. Since then I've...

Eve of construction: CME+CBOT = Huge.(Trendlines)
December 1, 2006... Depending of your perspective, the announced merger of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) and the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) was either a shock or a logical, if tardy, evolution. It certainly had been talked about, and exchange leaders...

Static means static: TT off the Mark(man).(Trendlines)(trademark infringement litigation involving Trading Technologies Inc. and eSpeed Inc.)
December 1, 2006... A Markman ruling on Trading Technologies' (TT) patents as they relate to the dispute between TT and several technology and brokerage firms (including eSpeed, CQG, GL Consultants and Rosenthal Collins Group) was announced on Oct. 31 and the...

Options fight: ISE challenges exclusivity.(Trendlines)(International Securities Exchange )(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Encouraged by its 2006 court victory allowing it to list options on the SPDR and Diamond exchange traded funds (ETFs), The International Securities Exchange (ISE) filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New...

Chartview: scary spike.(Trendlines)(upward movement of stock prices)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... In our October issue Alex Benjamin wrote about the "Liquidity mirage," detailing how during a nearly 24-hour trading day, markets experience periods of illiquidity where a small order can create a huge move. This is apparently what happened...

What about Europe? Is DB-Euronext next?(Trendlines)(Deutsche Borse AG's merger with Euronext N.V.)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... "If Chicago can do it, why not us?" That's a thought sure to be on the minds of Euronext shareholders voting in December on the proposed merger of Euronext and the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). "An offer from Deutsche Boerse (DB) would...

Penson buys GHCO.(International News)
December 1, 2006... Equity clearing firm Penson Worldwide Inc. will purchase the customer clearing organization of Goldenberg, Hehmeyer & Co. (GHCO) for $35 million. GHCO will retain its proprietary trading business and clear through the newly formed Penson GHCO....

ICE free, Nymex ready to IPO.(International News)
December 1, 2006... The CFTC has declined to regulate ICE Futures, which is regulated by the Financial Services Authority in London, and recently listed crude oil contracts in direct competition with Nymex. In other news, Nymex Holdings Inc. has signed an...

Hoffman takes reins at Weston.(Trading Places)
December 1, 2006... Matthew Hoffman is now chief investment officer of Weston Capital Management. Previously he was a founding partner and chief information officer for Mayer & Hoffman Capital Advisors LLC. He also has been responsible for manager selection and...

Rolfe & Nolan Systems Inc.(Trading Places)
December 1, 2006... Bob Sylverne has been promoted to CEO of Rolfe & Nolan Systems Inc. North America.

FIA Asia.(Trading Places)
December 1, 2006... Dr. Foo-shiung Ho has been named managing director of FIA Asia. He most recently was CEO of the Taiwan Futures Exchange.

SunGard's GMI.(Trading Places)
December 1, 2006... Leif Strid is now director of Asia Pacific for SunGard's GMI. Previously he was a senior sales consultant.

Block Alert.(Trading Places)
December 1, 2006... Steven J. Sorice is now CEO of Block Alert, a joint venture between Merrill Lynch and Investment Technology Group. Previously he was CEO of ITG's Hoenig division.

Nymex Holdings Inc.(Trading Places)
December 1, 2006... Kenneth Shifrin is now chief financial officer of Nymex Holdings Inc. Previously he was SVP of finance.

Standard Chartered Bank.(Trading Places)
December 1, 2006... Richard Leighton is now global head of foreign exchange (FX) for Standard Chartered Bank. Previously he was global head of FX Options.

SunGard's Enterprise Solutions Group.(Trading Places)
December 1, 2006... Gareth Quinn is now managing director of alternative investments for SunGard's Enterprise Solutions Group. Previously he was CEO of Trade Stream Global.

Horizon Cash Management.(Trading Places)
December 1, 2006... Robert von Halle is now SVP of business development for Horizon Cash Management. Previously he was with MarketAxess.

The minstrel of managed futures.(Managed Money Review)
December 1, 2006... Christian Baha, principal and founder of the Superfund Group of companies, is on a crusade to bring managed futures investment into the mainstream. And although progress on that has been slow, he points out "every [investment] that was...

Full steam ahead.(Hot Commodities)
December 1, 2006... The Nasdaq 100 e-mini futures contract has rallied to yearly highs above 1750, and is seen by many analysts as the index sector leader. David Toth, technical strategist at My Futures Online, says, "In this environment any reference to a mere...

Rough sledding.(Hot Commodities)(US dollar's foreign exchange rates)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... The U.S. dollar has been trending lower since mid October. But in mid November, it seemed to solidify on a strong jobs report. Then, when the U.S. trade deficit narrowed to $64.3 billion from August's record high of $69.9 billion, it sparked a...

Beans chase corn.(Hot Commodities)
December 1, 2006... As acreage in the United States has shifted away from soybeans and towards corn and wheat, soybeans have rallied hard, from $5.70 per bushel in early October to more than $6.90 in mid November, despite record production and ending stocks. ...

Thinking defense?(Market Strategy)(Stock markets' movements)
December 1, 2006... For decades, October has been a down month that causes investors to wince. The 1987 crash happened in October, as did several major market lows before and after. Going into this fall, a very reliable cycle was calling for a bottom sometime in...

Hot markets for 2007: many markets stand at a crossroads. Will stocks continue to rally? Are grains the new hot market? Will energy prices continue to drop? Traders and analysts debate the issues and reveal hot markets to buy and sell in 2007.(MARKETS)
December 1, 2006... Long term commodity bulls may have another reason to cheer. But this time many analysts point specifically to grains to lead the way in 2007. Some are predicting that in the next two to three years, grains will see record highs. Wheat and corn...

The ethanol impact.(MARKETS)
December 1, 2006... The ethanol industry is facing many challenges. Concerns such as transportation, acreage, yield, competitive feed stocks, export demand and cash and futures prices all are weighing heavily. There is an amount of uncertainty as to just how...

Forex opportunities in 2007.(Forex Trader)
December 1, 2006... In forex, the key event of 2006 was the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) ending the series of interest rate increases that started on June 30, 2004. Throughout the year, the anticipation that interest rate increases would end occupied a...

Day trading: then and now; Day trading is not what it used to be. But that isn't necessarily a bad thing. If you know where to look and how to trade them, modern markets may be even better suited to the strategies that have proven reliable at different times in history.(EQUITY TRADING TECHNIQUES)
December 1, 2006... People used to view day trading as simply another way to gamble away investment dollars. Today, however, many of those same critics are becoming intrigued with this approach as another way to diversify their otherwise tepid portfolios. Much of...

Exploiting spread trades: spreads are often overlooked, but these unique trading vehicles provide advantages that outright futures and stock trades can't offer. But before you venture into this arena, it's important to understand the peculiarities of spreads.(TRADING TECHNIQUES)
December 1, 2006... Traders shouldn't limit themselves to one way of thinking about the markets. Yes, there is something to be said for focusing on an approach until you have mastered it, but that doesn't mean you should see the world through narrow blinders....

Trading exotic softs: softs are known for their large trends and non correlation to other sectors, but they're also known for being difficult to predict. However, with a unique approach, softs can be effectively traded.(TRADING TECHNIQUES)
December 1, 2006... Systematic traders often use the same trade entry rules across all commodities, with the idea that the same system should work in all markets. Indeed, some systems are sold for a basket of markets when in reality they historically outperformed...

Mapping crude oil prices: no market can be forecasted perfectly, and to get a handle on the volatile crude oil market you need all the tools you can get. That means using both technical and fundamental analysis to predict prices.(TRADING TECHNIQUES)
December 1, 2006... This much is obvious: to profitably trade markets, it is necessary to predict the movement of prices. However, price action can be predicted only in terms of probability; nothing is certain. Many traders have been broken by not realizing that...

A structured approach to trading systems: building a trading system today requires special care. You can't just throw a bunch of rules at the wall and see what sticks. Here are a few of the many things you must consider.(TECHNOLOGY & TRADING)
December 1, 2006... A modern mechanical trading system requires two major components: good tools and good structure. The first requirement refers to the trading platform used to evaluate your rules, produce reports, charts, etc. Although there are many...

PC-SPAN.(Software Analysis)(Chicago Mercantile Exchange's Standard Portfolio Analysis of Risk)(Product/service evaluation)
December 1, 2006... PC-SPAN CATEGORIES: Business finance PLATFORMS: Windows COST: $500.00 Margin requirements for options on equities are easily found with just a few clicks on a broker's Web site. The margin needed for a trade is easy to...

Trade locally, think globally: volatility in commodities appears to be shifting to the grain sector. Regional exchanges are experiencing solid growth and with their contracts available on the e-cbot trading engine, they have the attention of the larger speculative trading community.(FUTURES 101)
December 1, 2006... The Chicago Board of Trade is considered the center for agricultural commodities trading, with benchmark contracts for soybeans, oats, rice, corn and wheat. And back in 2004, the exchange began collaborating with the Kansas City Board of Trade...

Best buys for traders.(Online Trading)
December 1, 2006... Online trading requires an understanding of markets, expertise in fundamental and technical analysis and a dedication to research and education, but those things won't save you if your equipment is not up to the task. You will need to know...

A billion here, a billion there ... Though not as threatening to overall market integrity, losses suffered by hedge fund Amaranth Advisors surpassed those of Long-Term Capital Management--the hedge fund collapse all others are measured by. And it came on the heels of another high profile energy hedge fund collapse. How did it happen?(MANAGED MONEY)
December 1, 2006... Hedge funds are a little like referees and umpires, you don't pay attention unless they do something wrong. Well, since the collapse of Long-Term Capital Management, no hedge fund has received as much ink as Amaranth Advisors. Losing $6 billion...

Top 50 brokers.(Cover story)
December 1, 2006... The merger between the two big Chicago futures exchanges caps one of the most lucrative and pivotal years in the history of the industry. It's the year grains finally began migration to the screens, the year Asia closed its last trading floor,...

Asia: upgraded and primed to trade; Outside China and India, Asian regulatory regimes have been gradually giving exchanges the tools they need to court global traders, and a dizzying array of new products are nearly within clicking distance.(SPECIAL REPORT: ASIAN MARKETS)
December 1, 2006... Since our last examination of the Asian futures exchanges in April, virtually every planned or projected upgrade has been implemented. Whether it's new technology in Japan or relaxed restrictions on access in Taiwan, Asia is an easier place to...

Contract dates.(Dateline)(Calendar)
December 1, 2006... 1 LTD: BM & F Alcohol OF, iBrX 50 F, CME Live cattle OF, Gold TRAKRS Index F. [TABLE OMITTED] 6 LTD: Nybot Cotton OF. 7 LTD: CME Nikkei 225 F,OF, Eurex Bobl F, Bund F, Buxl F, Shatz F, CONF F. 8 LTD: BM & F Alcohol F, CME CME...

Events coming up.(Calendar)
December 1, 2006... Call the numbers listed for more information. For other seminars, see the classifieds on pages 81-85. MARHedge Cayman. DEC. 3-5. The Ritz-Carlton, The Cayman Islands. www.marhedge.com. (646) 274-6213. The World Money Show. FEB. 7-10....

Stoken: closing in on 50 years.(Trader Profile)(Dick Stoken )
December 1, 2006... When Dick Stoken purchased a Chicago Mercantile Exchange membership in 1959 for approximately $3,000 after graduating from the University of Chicago Business School, eggs were the commodity to trade; pork bellies had not been listed yet and he...