Futures (Cedar Falls, IA) articles from February 2009

Futures (Cedar Falls, IA) archives from February 2009

What were they thinking?(Editorial)
February 1, 2009... The Bernard Madoff mess kind of makes me chuckle. Of course, I wouldn't be laughing if I had invested with him, and many very wealthy people, and sadly some charitable organizations, are out billions of dollars. But it seems no one was actually...

IDCG starts clearinghouse.(SWAP MEET)
February 1, 2009... Credit default swaps (CDSs) became the "it" product on the clearing landscape in the wake of the credit crisis, but the International Derivatives Clearing Group (IDCG) decided to focus its efforts on the over-the-counter (OTC) interest rate...

CME clears CDS hurdle.(ONE TO GO)
February 1, 2009... CME Group cleared two regulatory hurdles on Dec. 23 in its goal to clear credit default swaps (CDSs). The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York granted regulatory approval for clearing CDSs through...

ERP fight near end.(IS IT OVER YET?)
February 1, 2009... The objections have been aired and before you read this, a Delaware Chancellor could approve a $300 million settlement between former Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) members and the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), ending the decades-long...

FSA ends ban on shorts.(International News)
February 1, 2009... The FSA announced in January that it will not renew its emergency ban on short selling financial stocks. The controversial measure was introduced in mid-September in conjunction with the SEC in an effort to stabilize markets after the Lehman...

USFE closes.(International News)
February 1, 2009... The U.S. Futures Exchange (USFE) has shut down, according to former USFE CEO John Spiegel. Its principal shareholder, MF Global, put the exchange up for sale on Dec. 17, hoping to find a buyer by Dec. 31. MF Global CEO Bernard Dan said in a...

Gulf dollar.(International News)
February 1, 2009... The Dubai International Financial Centre has recommended the Gulf Cooperation Council create a common currency. The new currency would be weighted 45% against the U.S. dollar, 30% euro, 20% Japanese yen and 5% British pound.

Schapiro nominated to head SEC.(Trading Places)
February 1, 2009... Mary L. Schapiro was nominated as chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission. She is currently CEO of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority and served as chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) from 1994 to...

Madoff fools many, including SEC.(Managed Money Review)
February 1, 2009... That Bernard L. Madoff was running a massive Ponzi scheme wasn't news to many industry professionals who were skeptical of his amazingly consistent returns during inconsistent markets. But what is becoming more apparent is that it shouldn't...

Take two.(Hot Commodities)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... U.S. Treasury bond prices took a hit around New Year's, but two-year Treasury note prices continue to trend higher. "The two-year addresses the security issues that people have," explains Richard Roscelli, analyst for Alaron Las Vegas. "It is...

Eur pound of flesh.(Hot Commodities)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... The euro enjoyed a huge run up against the British pound, approaching parity in late December based on weak British fundamentals, including weak job and housing markets, slowing growth and huge levels of consumer debt, explains John...

Exports buoy beans.(Hot Commodities)
February 1, 2009... Since the first week of December, March soybeans have rallied from $7.79 per bushel to more than $10 by early January. Joe Victor, vice president of Allendale Research, says price action in soybeans this time of year is based on U.S. export...

Crude in deep contango--will it change?(Market Strategy)
February 1, 2009... As crude oil rallied to unprecedented levels, experts set a moving new floor for crude. First it was $40, then $50, then $60 and eventually $80. Once the correction in crude turned violent, the price curve seemed to indicate that the sell-off...

Options strategy.
February 1, 2009... Question: You believe a market has overshot and is in Bubble Land. How do you profit without incurring too much risk if your timing is off? Answer: Try one of these three options strategies. The exponential rise in Treasuries at the end...

Trading in a zero interest rate and growth world.(Forex Trader)
February 1, 2009... As 2009 begins, it is appropriate to borrow Charles Dickens' phrase, "it was the best of times and it was the worst of times." The credit crises, housing bust and commodity collapse helped wipe out $50 trillion in market valuations in...

What's next on the energy roller coaster? No sector experienced the explosion of volatility in 2008 as acutely as crude oil and though no one expects a six-month range of more than $110 as we had in 2008, with crude nearly 75% off of its highs, OPEC slashing production and a hot war percolating in the Mideast, no relief from volatility is in sight.(MARKETS)
February 1, 2009... Obsessed with oil demand growth prospects? Isn't everyone these days? Volatility in oil markets remained at scorching levels at the onset of 2009 due to spillover from the previous year's near cataclysmic meltdown in the financial sector...

Two timing the market: combining volume-based breakout techniques with multiple time frame analysis is an effective way to diversify without spreading yourself too thin. Despite these benefits, though, this multi-layered approach is often tough to grasp for those new to the concept.(EQUITY TRADING TECHNIQUES)
February 1, 2009... Multiple timeframe analysis is well known to many discretionary day-traders as a golden principle of long-term trading success. However, it's rare to come across solid, well-tested information on how to utilize this concept the right way. By...

Calibrating profit and loss strategies: various scale-out trade-management strategies are all the rage with E-mini day-traders these days. here, we'll look at what really works and offer a realistic appraisal of what can be expected from popular profit-target and stop-loss rules.(TRADING TECHNIQUES)(Column)
February 1, 2009... Mini stock index futures electronic contracts, because of their liquidity, leverage, tax advantages and supporting electronic infrastructure, attract speculators interested in a low-risk and potentially high-return market. A number of advanced...

Long the strongest, short the weakest: one trading axiom is simple: go with the winners, short the losers. Few markets have offered more opportunity in this area than the current energy complex. Here, we look at a basic concept that helps us leverage this approach.(TRADING TECHNIQUES)(Column)
February 1, 2009... You are watching two markets: one is rallying sharply, it is in a clear uptrend; the other is choppy, it is rallying slowly. Which do you long: the leader or follower? Intellectually your answer is probably: "I would long the strongest, of...

Buy and hold, R.I.P.: 1900-2007: for those who maintain at least two classes of holdings, one to trade and one to invest, buy-and-hold's demise presents a problem. For many, active investment in exchange-traded funds and even futures are replacing these passively held stock and mutual fund holdings. Here's one strategy to help fill the void.(TECHNOLOGY & TRADING)
February 1, 2009... Classic financial planning says that investments in both the stock market and real estate are the keys to building long-term wealth. The implication is that both these assets outperform inflation and should be invested in steadily over time....

Getting started in trading: so you want to be a trader? Everyone has to start somewhere, but a trial by fire in trading means you're likely to get burned. Here are some tips that will put the odds of success in your favor.(FUTURES 101)
February 1, 2009... The National Futures Association says the way you participate in trading depends on four factors: your knowledge and previous experience in trading, how much time you are able to devote to trading, the amount of capital you commit and your...

CTAs: getting respect in Asia? Hundreds of alternative investment money managers have sprouted across Asia in the past decade, mostly in Singapore and Hong Kong, usually focusing on long-short equities. while many are disappearing, a handful focusing on futures are not only surviving but thriving.(MANAGED MONEY)
February 1, 2009... Doing business in the United States is a lot different from doing business in Asia," says Hong Kong native Chris Tam, co-founder of Future Gate Consultants Limited, a three-year-old Hong-Kong-based Commodity Trading Advisor (CTA). "The...

Tops & bottoms of 2008: in 2008, equity markets tanked as did housing, commodities and most hedge fund strategies while our leaders spent most of the year in a place called denial until events overtook the spin. While often painful, and a year filled with more bottoms than tops, 2008 was ripe for lampooning.(TRADE TRENDS)
February 1, 2009... Tops MANAGED FUTURES Equity markets experienced a historic downturn in January 2008, which never really relented. Most hedge fund strategies ended the year in the red and even the long commodity bull market reversed course but there...

Dubious awards.(Column)(Company rankings)
February 1, 2009... UNDERSTATEMENT OF THE YEAR "I made a mistake in presuming that the self interest of organizations, specifically banks and others, was such that they were best capable of protecting their own shareholders and the equity in the firms," said...

Lack of leadership.(Rogues Gallery)
February 1, 2009... It is easy to blame the heads of investment banks, a few schemers and fraudsters for the U.S. fiscal disaster, but our leaders assured us that the worst news was behind us time and time again and that everything was okay--right up until they...

Bad Omen.(Rogues Gallery)
February 1, 2009... The year of lack of corporate oversight got off to a bang when Jerome Kerviel, a junior trader on the Societe Generale proprietary trading desk, managed to hide $7.2 billion of losses before they were discovered by the French bank. Remember the...

The big one.(Rogues Gallery)
February 1, 2009... Bernard L. Madoff, chairman of Madoff Investment Securities and a former chairman of the Nasdaq stock market, was arrested in December and charged with running a $50 billion ponzi scheme. While Madoff's alleged fraud is audacious in its scope...

Failure is not an option: demand for U.S. Treasuries is at an all-time high and so are the number of failures to deliver them. Here's a look at how Treasuries trade, why they fail and what you can do to protect yourself.(TRADE TRENDS)
February 1, 2009... With the global equity and commodity markets in turmoil, U.S. government securities have offered a safe haven for capital, drawing in more and more domestic and non-U.S. buyers, who have pushed prices for Treasury bills, notes and bonds to...

Events coming up.(Calendar)
February 1, 2009... Visit the Web sites listed for more information. Futures I-Trade Show. Free, on demand through March 10. www.futuresmag.com The World Money Show Orlando. Feb. 4-7, 2009. Gaylord Palms Resort, Orlando, FL. www.moneyshow.com ...

Xenon: adjusting on the fly.(Trader Profile)
February 1, 2009... When Jay Feuerstein, chief investment officer of 2100 Xenon Group, was working on his MBA from the University of Chicago, he took a couple of courses in "Decision Theory," which sparked in him a passion for trading. "It has always been my dream...