Futures (Cedar Falls, IA) articles from January 2002

Futures (Cedar Falls, IA) archives from January 2002

Enron's greedy outrage. (Editor's Note).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... The other week I had dinner with one of our contributors, a trader/broker who is in the know. We discussed Enron, the trading company that just had a world class blow out. I noted how badly they must have traded. He said Enron's demise was due...

Bond market leak spurs investigation. (Trading Ahead of the Curve).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... While many in the fixed-income trading world were surprised by the Treasury's Halloween announcement to no longer issue 30-year bonds, some traders may have received a treat rather than a trick by being tipped off on the move. Reports that the...

Chicago equity futures venture gets label. (An Exchange by Any Other Name).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... The long-anticipated moniker -- OneChicago -- for the Chicago exchange joint venture for individual equity futures was finally unveiled by Chairman Bill Rainer in November after months of anticipation. The name laid an egg with attendees and...

New fees for CBOT traders. (Not Enough?).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Business will be done differently at the CBOT now that a new fee structure has passed a membership vote. However, while enjoying considerable insider support, some argue the new fee structure is an Old World approach to an industry trying to...

Error highlights electronic risks. (Reset Button Please).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Out-trades have always been one of the messier aspects of working on a trading floor, and they're turning into an even bigger mess in the electronic world. On Nov. 20, someone on Germany's Eurex platform keyed in an order so large that the...

Futures clearinghouse embraces OTC. (Sharing the Wealth).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Theoretically, the marriage of semistandardized OTC transactions and central clearing is a match made in heaven, with bilateral trade-matching being handled by the people who know the market best and a central counterparty monitoring the risk...

Even closer network. (International News).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Even closer network Archipelago and REDIBook announced a merger that likely will resonate across industry lines into the futures industry with consolidated liquidity and competitive mergers. The two equity-based electronic communications...

X-cited. (International News).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... X-cited Interest in the CBOT's new X-Fund futures is gaining prior to the Feb. 1, 2002, launch date. Much of the interest in the new contract has to do with its unique structure, which also could be its weakness due to the complexity. The...

Elevating grains. (International News).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Elevating grains The CBOT isn't the only exchange trying an unorthodox approach to contract development. The Minneapolis Grain Exchange (MGEX) is hoping its new National Soybean Index (NSI) and National Corn Index (NCI), based on grain elevator...

Money to burn. (International News).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Money to burn With only 21 companies so far announcing public offerings in Germany for 2002, Deutsche Borse (DB) has been frugal with the nearly $1 billion it raised through its February public offering. In December, however, DB spent $100...

Stepping stone. (International News).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Stepping stone A U.K. parliamentary committee is expected to publish a report in January critical of the London Stock Exchange (LSE) for letting the London International Futures and Options Exchange (Life) merge with Euronext instead of the...

Link me up. (International News).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Link me up The Singapore Exchange (SGX) and Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) have launched a pilot test of their first co-trading link. Members of both exchanges now will be able to invest directly in securities listed on either exchange. ASX...

Borish moves to OneChicago. (Trading Places).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... For a man who has season tickets to the New York Knicks, taking on the director of business development position at the joint venture of the three Chicago derivatives exchanges, OneChicago, is a big step. But Peter Borish says he's putting his...

The art of hedge funds. (Managed Money Review).(Integral Investment Management)
January 1, 2002... The Art Institute of Chicago has enjoyed above average returns since it began investing in hedge funds in 1997, but when one fund reported losses of 90%, the Art Insititue filed suit claiming fraud. The suit alleges Dallas-based Integral...

Wild ride. (Hot Commodities - Natural Gas).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Wild ride Stating the obvious, IFR Pegasus Senior Analyst Tim Evans calls natural gas a boom-and-bust market. Considering a year ago he was discussing $10 gas markets and now he's wondering if the market can stay above $2, his perception seems...

Cascading cattle. (Hot Commodities - Live Cattle).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Cascading cattle Like many other commodities, live cattle took a hit following Sept. 11 due to a drop in demand. But the bigger problem for beef bulls is if cattle aren't slaughtered, they keep on growing. As a result, cattle prices took a...

Cocoa on top? (Hot Commodities - Cocoa).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Cocoa on top? While most commodities remain in a terrorist-induced bear market, cocoa has rallied and is moving higher, setting nearly a three-year high in November. With crop estimates for Ivory Coast cocoa above last year's levels, there is...

U.S. economy 'can only get better' - but how much and how soon? (Cover Story Markets).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Interest rate cuts, tax rebates, government spending, lower energy prices, stack market recovery -- all point to a stronger economy in 2002. But in the aftermath of Sept. 11, consumers are slow to buy into the idea. And all bets are off if...

Bonds on bearish track. (Tech Talk).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... The Treasury bond market will face a turbulent and somewhat bearish atmosphere over the first half of 2002. Downdrafts will come from continued liquidation of the swift rally in late 2001 its hold at multi-year resistance and a bearish seasonal...

Fed hints at sunnier economy. (Market Watch).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... After lowering short-term inter rates 450 basis points in 11 months -- an unprecedented pace of monetary easing -- Federal Reserve officials were seemingly leaving the door open to even further rate cuts in late November by continuing to speak...

The bigger the base, the higher in space. (Market Strategy).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Editor's note: Previous annual outlooks in this section have focused on the Treasury bond (see Market Strategy, Futures, January 2001, April 2000, February 1999 and January 1998). In light of the Treasury's announcement to eliminate the bond...

Trading Japan from Chicago. (Equity Trading Techniques).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Here's the case for trading U.S.-based Nikkei futures vs. other instruments for exposure to the Japanese stock market, as well as some trading tips for those who do get active in this market. Japan has been in and out of recession for the...

Taking it to the street. (Trading Techniques).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... In our annual look at spurious correlations and the role they can play in fanciful market analysis, we catch up on the meanderings of the oats/notes and HU/NG spreads, introduce a new tool, and bestow the coveted Abby Award. Mario Lemieux...

Intraday strategies for multiple time frame. (Trading Techniques).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... While effective when trading daily price bars, multiple time period analysis can give quite an edge when examining intraday bars. Here, we demonstrate how various tools applied to 50-minute and daily bars can provide additional market trend...

Get ahead trading the TED. (Trading Techniques).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... So, do you have an opinion about U.S. economic conditions? Like most traders, your answer likely is yes. A new 10-year interest rate swap futures contract provides institutional investors with another risk management tool, but combined with...

Debunking the drawdown myth. (Technology & Trading).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Properly measuring drawdowns is a difficult task in trading system development, and one that many traders don't give its full due. Here, we'll discuss the right way and the wrong way of assessing the drawdown statistics of trading systems. The...

Elliott wave analyzer II. (Software Review).(Evaluation)
January 1, 2002... Roxburgh Securities Pty. Ltd. 110 Stirling Hwy. Nedlands, WA 6009 Australia Phone:(61) 8 9203 6626 Fax: (61) 8 9463 6032 Web: www.elliottician.com E-mail: info@elliottician.com Price: $749.00 Overall...

Some firms still eschew online trading. (On Line Trading).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Last issue, we featured our Futures' Top 50 Brokers article, an annual listing of those brokerages with the highest customer equity as reported by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Unsurprisingly, most of those firms have been the same...

Part 1: Fundamental vs. technical analysis. (Futures 101).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... In the first of our head-to-head series, we take a look at the ins and outs of fundamental and technical analyses. An understanding of each approach will be helpful in deciding how to develop a trading system.(FUTURES 101) It's an age-old...

Behind the veil of secrecy. (Managed Money).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Hedge funds tend to be portrayed as the Peck's bad boy of the investment world due to the secrecy that surrounds them. That secrecy for the most part is mandated under private placement provisions. Industry representatives are trying to allow a...

Enron's end game. (Trade Trends).(related article: Credit derivatives: straw man hedge?)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Everything's bigger in Texas, including the debacles. When the world's largest energy trading group, Enron, deposed Texaco as the world's largest bankruptcy in December, shock waves rippled out from the epicenter in Houston through exchanges in...

Toward Rational Exuberance: The evolution of the modern stock market. (Book Review).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... By B. Mark Smith Farrar, Straus and Giroux (2001) 342 pp., $25 Cross Peter Bernstein's Capital Ideas and Jeremy Siegel's Stocks for the Long Run, add some key updates and improvements, and you approach this excellent book. Capital...

Technical analysis of stock trends. (Book).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... The recently released eighth edition of Technical Analysis of Stock Trends, written by Robert Edwards and John Magee, features more information and analysis of modem technology and investment strategies. The latest edition includes expanded...

Electronic claim entry service. (Services).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... The National Futures Association (NFA) now offers an electronic claim entry service. The service is intended to Increase the efficiency of the organization's dispute resolution program. Minutes after entering initial claims, customers will be...

Alaron trading academy. (Services).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Akron Futures & Options introduced the Akron Trading Academy, a new online educational resource center for futures and options traders. The academy offers online trading courses, videotapes, textbooks, trading kits and a mentoring program. The...

SmartSearchXL. (Services).(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
January 1, 2002... PowerOptionsPlus (www.poweropt.com) has added a Web-based data analysis tool that identifies the most profitable options investments. PowerOptionPius' support technology, SmartSearchXL, searches over 100,000 options, while incorporating...

eSignal futures. (Services).(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
January 1, 2002... eSignal has released the esignal Futures service for traders. Using real-time market data for all U.S.-traded contracts, including E-Minis and 800 other indexes, the service provides streaming data, charts, news and research. Key features...

OpScan. (Software).(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
January 1, 2002... OptionVue Systems introduced OpScan, a new tool offered through the OptionVue 5 Options Analysis software. OpScan is a market scanning service designed to identify potential trading opportunities. Customers can develop custom formulas, which...

Topline. (Software).(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
January 1, 2002... Future Dynamics (FDJ has released topline, a new data analysis tool that can be used by itself or with other FD products. topline supports straight-line processing by monitoring trading volumes, turnaround times for give-ups, efficiency of...

www.single-stock-futures.com. (Internet).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Refco launched a single stock futures Web site and a new online trading division for Refco Securities. www.single-stockfutures.com is designed to educate and inform both retail and institutional customers about the new products. Features...

www.futures.wellinvested.com. (Internet).(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
January 1, 2002... Wellinvested (www.futures.wellinvested.com) provides an online backtesting tool that is capable of testing any stock or major futures contract against several different trading systems. Both simple and advanced trading systems can be developed....

www.fea.com. (Internet).(Financial Engineering Associates)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Financial Engineering Associates (FEA) has completed a major redesign of its Web site www.fea.com. The site features a completely new interface along with software download capability and expanded content, including the Browse by Industry...

www.pbs.org/openoutcry. (Internet).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... The Independent Television Service launched a Web site (www.pbs.org/openoutcry] to complement its PBS documentary Open Outcry. Highlights include The Trading Pit, a feature profiling the pit at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME), The Culture...

Contract dates. (Futures Dateline).(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2002... 2 FND: BM&F corn F, Liffe coffee F, Nybot FCOJ F, Nymex platinum/palladium F. 4 LND: MidAm Dec live cattle F. LTD: CME Canadian dollar OF, currencies OF, live cattle OF, peso OF, Matif/Monep corn F, Nybot currencies OF, Feb cocoa OF. ...

Kenyon: Drawn by the thrill factor. (Trader Profile).(commodity broker Chip Kenyon)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Chip Kenyon didn't really choose the futures industry. It chose him. The Chicago native graduated college with concentrations in economics and history and had trouble finding direction. "I didn't have a job; I didn't know where to go....

Categories of futures/options firms. (Brokers/Advisors).
January 15, 2002... Brokers/Advisors Futures commission merchants (FCM) Solicits or accepts orders to buy or sell futures or options and accepts money or other assets from clients in connection with such orders. Must be registered with the CFTC or NFA. As...

2001 Top 50 FCM update.(Statistical Data Included)
January 15, 2002... 2001 top 50 FCM update Since our listing in the December 2001 issue, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) published new data for futures commission merchants. Two changes of note: PMB Inc.'s customer business was bought by...

Futures / options industry firms. (A-C).
January 15, 2002... The following is an alphabetical listing of U.S. firms serving the futures and options industry that responded to our requests to be listed in the Futures 2002 Source Book. The basic listing includes the firm name in boldface type followed...

Futures & options industry firms. (D-H).
January 15, 2002... D Dabbah Securities Corp 6 E. 46th St., Suite 300, New York, NY 10017. (212) 697-9870. (IB) Steve Dabbah 6 E. 46th St., Suite 300, New York, NY 10017. (212) 697-9602, fax: (212) 697-9609. E-mail:...

Futures & options industry firms. (I-O).(Illustration)(Directory)
January 15, 2002... I IASG Inc. 625 W. Madison St., Suite 2511, Chicago, IL 60661 (312) 648-4242, fax: (312) 648-4251 E-mail: sales@iasg.com Web: www.iasg.com (IB, CTA, CPO) IBGROUP LLC 100 Wall St., 11th Floor, New York, NY...

Futures & options industry firms. (P-T).
January 15, 2002... P Pacific Rim Asset Management Inc. 5410 S.W. Macadam, Suite 240, Portland, OR 97201 (503) 241-0107, fax: (503) 241-0105 E-mail: futures@pramusa.com Web: www.pramusa.com (IB) Packers Trading Co. Inc. 30 S....

Futures & options industry firms. (U-Z).
January 15, 2002... U UBS PaineWebber 125 S. Wacker Dr., Suite 2600, Chicago, IL 60606. (800) 258-3810, fax: (312) 984-2528. E-mail: mason.matschke@UBSpw.com. (FCM, OTC, IH, PSP) UBS Warburg LLC 677 Washington Blvd., Stamford, CT...

Non-U.S. listings.
January 15, 2002... AUSTRALIA AmeriCorp Capital Markets Associates Level 23, St. Martins Tower, Perth, WA 6000, Australia. Email: americorp@one.net.au Web: www.americorpgroup.com. (CPO, B, IH, PSR) Commodity Hedging Co. Pty. Ltd. PO...

2001 Volume leaders. (2001 Volume Leaders & Top Traders).(Brief Article)
January 15, 2002... 2001 VOLUME LEADERS & TOP TRADERS 2001 VOLUME LEADERS Despite the CME's eurodollar grabbing the the top spot from Eurex's bund, the top contracts in both the futures and options categories took on a decidedly European flavor for...

2001 Top CTAs. (2001 Volume Leaders & Top Traders).(Brief Article)
January 15, 2002... 2001 TOP CTAs 2001 has been a tough year for many CTAs, though higher volatility in the latter part of the year has helped many. These CTAs, however, came up with eye-popping returns, though their 12-month records (which they're ranked...

Futures & options exchanges.
January 15, 2002... The following pages provide exchange and contract information for the world's futures and options exchanges, listed by country in alphabetical order. We have attempted to include every active futures contract in our listing. However, some may...

Industry regulators.
January 15, 2002... Checking on your broker Most of us only will be involved with an industry regulator when we check on the disciplinary history (or lack thereof) of our brokers and trading advisors. For U.S. based firms, the best source of information is...

Categories of futures/options firms. (Information suppliers).
January 15, 2002... Book, video publisher, distributor (IBK) AAA Learning Center Aerodynamic Investments Inc. Alaron Trading Corp. Astro-Trend Beacon Companies Inc., The (Beacon Futures Inc.) Bollinger Capital Management Bruce Gould...

Categories of futures/options firms. (Electronic suppliers).
January 15, 2002... Price quotes, data (EPQ) ABG Investment Group Inc. Acme Analytics Corp. Agro Grain Livestock Marketing AIQ Systems Alaron Trading Corp. ALTAVEST Worldwide Trading Inc. American Futures & Options Inc. ...

Categories of futures/options firms. (Professional services).
January 15, 2002... Accounting (PSA) Acceltek Accounting Systems Allen's Business Consulting Arthur F. Bell Jr. & Associates LLC CCS Financial Services Inc. Commodity Consultants LLC Custom House Administration & Corporate Services Ltd....