John Lothian's Daily Futures & Securities Industry Newsletter

 

November 6, 2002

 

Lead Stories

 

CBOT Pres. & CEO Vitale Resigns, EVP Dan Named Successor - 11.05.2002
CBOT announces resignation of David Vitale as President and CEO, Names EVP Bernard Dan as successor, Promotes EVP Carol Burke to additional role of Chief of Staff.
http://www.cbot.com/cbot/www/cont_detail/0,1493,10+24+null+9680,00.html

 

SEC Chairman Resigns Under Pressure (AP)
...Pitt's stumbles had been seen as weakening the SEC at a time when the market was reeling from corporate debacles,...
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20021106/ap_on_bi_ge/pitt_resigns_13

 

Euronext.liffe - Euronext.liffe Trades Record Average Daily Value Of €985 Billion
http://www.exchange-handbook.co.uk/news_story.cfm?id=40198

 

Chairman Of The US Securities And Exchange Commission Resigns
http://www.exchange-handbook.co.uk/news_story.cfm?id=40199

 

Vitale out, Dan in at Board of Trade
http://www.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?id=7078


CBOT's chief executive departs after 18 months
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-0211060306nov06,0,1340327.story?coll=chi%2Dbusiness%2Dhed

 

CBOT can find no market for change agents
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-0211060304nov06,0,422821.column?coll=chi%2Dbusiness%2Dhed

 

Chicago Board of Trade Chief Resigns

http://abcnews.go.com/wire/Business/reuters20021105_619.html


CBOT president loses battle
http://www.suntimes.com/output/business/cst-fin-cbot06.html

 

David Vitale Resigns As BOT Head
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20021106/ap_on_bi_ge/board_of_trade_president_2

 

Chicago Board of Trade's CEO steps down (FT.com)
The Chicago Board of Trade on Tuesday said it had accepted the resignation of its chief executive, David Vitale, ending a month of uncertainty at the top of one of the US's largest derivatives exchanges.
http://biz.yahoo.com/ft/021105/1035873026340_2.html

 

BrokerTec Futures Exchange Sets New Records For Screen-Traded Volume
http://www.btecfutures.com/exchange/news/press-releases/index.cfm

 

CBOT Names Judy Gordon as Director of Marketing - 11.05.2002
Ms. Gordon, previously director of online services with Raymond James Financial, will be responsible for the CBOT's product marketing and brand development, and will report to Senior Vice President Marty Reiner.
http://www.cbot.com/cbot/www/cont_detail/0,1493,10+24+null+9669,00.html

 

Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. Appoints Director, Corporate Communications
http://www.exchange-handbook.co.uk/news_story.cfm?id=40193

 

Building Investor Confidence is Industry’s Top Priority as Industry Leaders Gather for SIA's Annual Meeting, November 6 - 8
http://www.sia.com/press/html/pr_annual_meeting2002.html

 

Exchange News

 

NQLX Only Exchange with Futures on ETFs

New York, November 6, 2002 – Nasdaq Liffe Markets, LLC (NQLX) announced today the security futures contracts that will be available for trading at launch this Friday, November 8th at 10:30 AM (EST). In alphabetical order:  

 

Futures on Single Stocks
· Chevron Texaco (CVX)
· Exxon Mobile (XOM)
· Ford Motor (F)
· General Electric (GE)
· General Motors (GM)
· Honeywell International (HON)
· IBM (IBM)
· Intel (INTC)
· Microsoft (MSFT)
· Oracle (ORCL)

 

Futures on Exchange Traded Funds
· Nasdaq-100 Index Tracking Stock (QQQ)
· Russell 1000 iShares (IWB)
· Russell 2000 iShares (IWM)
· Russell 3000 iShares (IWV)

 

Tom Ascher, NQLX CEO, said, “We are both pleased and confident that our product listing for launch includes some of the preeminent and widely held companies in the U.S. These companies represent the innovation, determination and leadership that embody American capitalism as its finest. We look forward to developing NQLX to a point where it enhances the efficiency of the U.S. capital markets.”

Over the coming weeks, NQLX will expand its security futures listings. All NQLX-listed products will be made available through member firms on NQLX’s derivatives trading platform, LIFFE CONNECT™.

 

NQLX is a fully electronic, federally regulated exchange formed as a joint venture between The NASDAQ Stock Market Inc.® and LIFFE (London International Financial Futures and Options Exchange). It will initially list security futures on both exchange traded funds and the largest U.S. companies through LIFFE's electronic trading platform, LIFFE CONNECT™. For more information on NQLX, visit: www.nqlx.com

NQLX MARGIN RULES APPROVED - NOV. 8th START
http://www.nqlx.com/NQLX/PressRelease/NQLXrules-Final1.pdf

 

CBOT Trading Postition Change, US T- Bonds, November 27, 2002 - 11.05.2002
http://www.cbot.com/cbot/www/cont_detail/0,1493,10+24+268+9676,00.html


Goldman Sachs Commodity Index (GSCI®) Revises Commodity Weights For 2003   (11/05/02)
Goldman Sachs Inc. has announced the 2003 composition and weights for the Goldman Sachs Commodity Index (GSCI®) trading on Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. (CME). The first futures contract to be affected by the change is the February 2003 contract to be listed for trading on CME on Nov. 18, 2002.
http://www.cme.com/news/shownews.cfm?NewsItem=0003E4FD-0F6C-1DC8-884B80EDBEFB0000

 

October 2002 - Euronext key indicators
http://www.euronext.com/en/euronext_org/news/press_releases/news.jsp?news.id=13856&lang=EN&isin=&quotetype=STOCKQUOTE

 

Deutsche Börse Acquires Stake in Infobolsa
http://deutsche-boerse.com/cgi-bin/framez.exe?FS@/INTERNET/EXCHANGE/ex_news.nsf/HTMLSeitenE/SIDEBAR+-+WhatsNew?openDocument@/INTERNET/EXCHANGE/ex_news.nsf/WebMaskenformelnEnglish/438AFEB6ABC5D47EC1256C690

032C0FE?openDocument

 

NYBOT’s Coffee Options Contract Sets New Open Interest Record
http://www.nybot.com/pressRelease.asp?releaseID=500

 

Commodity Risk - Goldman Revises Composition For One Of Its Benchmark Indexes
Goldman Sachs has announced the 2003 composition and weights for the Goldman Sachs Commodity Index (GSCI) trading on Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME).
http://www.garp.com//newsfeed.asp?Category=6&MyFile=2002-11-06-5735.html


Media Advisory - UBC & the Canadian Foundation for Investor Education Team up to Host International Symposium on Risk Capital in Canada
http://www.tse.com/en/mediaNews/newsreleases/news3425.html


Exchange to market new data services
http://www.londonstockexchange.com/newsroom/releases/06-11-02.asp

Regulatory News

 

CFMA Skeptic Erickson Leaves the CFTC
http://www.hedgeworld.com/news/read_news.cgi?section=dail&story=dail8715.html

 

NASD To Provide Arbitration Training Online
http://www.nasdr.com/news/pr2002/release_02_059.html

 

The SEC News Digest
http://www.sec.gov/news/digest/11-05.txt

 

SEC Hunts for a Successor to Harvey Pitt
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The search begins on Wednesday for a new head of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ...
http://news.lycos.com/news/story.asp?section=Breaking&storyId=560475

 

A new Investor Alert about account statements has been posted to the Site. (11/05/02)
http://www.nasdr.com/alert_bearmarket.htm

 

SEC Files Additional Fraud Charges Against WorldCom
The Securities and Exchange Commission yesterday filed an amended complaint against WorldCom Inc.  
http://www.garp.com//newsfeed.asp?Category=6&MyFile=2002-11-06-5738.html

 

Goodbye, Mr. Pitt - Commentary: SEC Chief's ouster wipes out last of trust
http://cbs.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?guid=%7BE3A7C196%2D2C0B%2D4D34%2DB66F%2D2F696008638B%7D&siteid=

mktw


SEC's Inquiry of IPO 'Laddering' Marks Goldman, J.P. Morgan (Dow Jones)
... enforcement staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission ( news - web sites) has notified Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE: GS - News) that it has recommended filing civil securities- fraud...
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/dowjones/20021106/bs_dowjones/200211060331000243

 

Reports

 

Bond Talk Today's Events
http://www.bondtalk.com/global.cfm?S=todaysevents

 

USDA Today
http://www.usda.gov/nass/PUBS/TODAYRPT/TODAY.HTM

 

Miscellaneous News

 

Penson Worldwide, Inc. has Hired Peter Wind as Senior Vice President
Dallas, November 5, 2002: Penson Worldwide Inc. is pleased to announce that it has hired Peter Wind as Senior Vice President.
Mr. Wind recently retired from Cargill Investor Services in Chicago after 30 years of service. Peter joined the Cargill organization in 1972 as a trainee and held a variety of trading and management positions before joining Cargill Investor Services in 1975. Most recently he served as Senior Vice President, Global Financial Markets.
http://www.integratedtrading.com/pr1.htm

 

Exchanges report higher volumes; new software lets hacked database heal itself
http://www.eyeforchem.com/index.asp?news=33259&ch=&nli=og-c

 

Top OTC Brokers Form Energy Broker Association (PR Newswire)
An unprecedented initiative was launched today to assist the energy trading industry with addressing current issues and enhancing the energy markets. Seven of the top Over-the-Counter energy brokers announced the formation of the Energy Brokers Association, a trade association recently incorporated in Washington, D.C.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/021105/nytu111_1.html

 

Spectron Launches Weather Derivatives Electronic Marketplace Using TradeCapture Software (Business Wire)
Spectron Group, a leading independent intermediary in the global energy markets, today announced that they have launched an electronic marketplace to trade weather derivatives using TradeCapture's B2B Exchange Tools software
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/021105/52160_1.html

 

OM Announces North American Launch of New Energy Marketplace Solution (PR Newswire)
... set of field-proven modular subsystems and designed to provide an efficient and easy-to-use trading platform for today's energy demands.......As a global owner and operator of exchanges for more than 17 years, OM understands the important role of configurable systems,......An expert in market development, OM is both a systems solutions developer, and an exchange owner and operator....... innovator that developed the first day ahead electricity spot exchange and the first commodities future exchange....
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/021106/law043_1.html

 

OM Launches Next Generation CLICK™ Marketplace Solution
http://domino.omgroup.com/www/OMBulletinBoard.nsf/OMPortalNewsRef/B2B96837B8B7A789C1256C69002FF9E0?OpenDocument

 

OM Launches Trading Solutions for Small and Medium-Sized Marketplaces
http://domino.omgroup.com/www/OMBulletinBoard.nsf/OMPortalNewsRef/76028C009DDA8B7D80256C69003A9848?OpenDocument

Single-Stock Futures Open New Markets
http://www.refco.com/pr_20021104.html

 

2002 Election Results: What They Mean for the Markets? Schwab Capital Markets L.P. Washington Research Group 33rd Annual Symposium
http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/cnn-storydisplay.cgi?story=/www/bw/webbox/bw.110602/223100023.htm&textcolor=%23000000&bgcolor=%23FFFFFF&linkcolor=

%230000EE&vlinkcolor=%23551A8B&target=_top&pre=0&strip=1&nohrule=0&notimestamp=1&noeditor=1&nocontact=1&noba

ckground=0&story_textcolor=%23000000&headlinecolor=%23000000&header=%2Fwww%2Fbw%2Fschwab%2Fsch-storyheader.shtml&footer=%2Fwww%2Fbw%2Fschwab%2Fsch-storyfooter.shtml

 

Merrill Lynch Cuts 400 Jobs (AP)
Merrill Lynch & Co. is cutting about 400 jobs in its private client group, citing the weak economic environment.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20021105/ap_on_bi_ge/merrill_lynch_cuts_1

 

Tainted Wall Street turns to advertising (FT.com)
...Some online brokers, such as Charles Schwab, have launched ad campaigns that portray Wall Street analysts and brokers as corrupt,...
http://biz.yahoo.com/ft/021105/1035873019183_1.html

 

Edward Jones focuses on one broker, neighborhood office format
Paul Koch is on his way to becoming an investment broker — a career change he made after 20 years in the insurance industry. He recently went through training to become an investment representative for Edward Jones.
http://clickit.go2net.com/search?cid=239151&site=srch&area=srch.comm.fast_news&shape=textlink&cp=info.xcite&rawto=h

ttp://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/news/archive/biz_6731058.shtml

 

Short-term mindset a natural response
SINGAPORE - The recent debate over quarterly reporting has highlighted the increasingly short-term outlook of players in the local stock market - a trend most would agree has negative connotations.
http://business-times.asia1.com.sg/companies/story/0,2276,62882,00.html

 

John's Comments

 

There is so much news, I don't know where to start.  Let me start with David Vitale leaving.  Mr. Vitale served the CBOT very well during his short term as President.  He brought in some very good people to key positions and helped the CBOT right its economic situation.  I am appreciative of his contributions to the CBOT and the industry as a whole and wish him well in his future endeavors.

 

Actually, I would like to throw his name into the ring for consideration as SEC Chairman.  There is precedent for former CBOT Presidents moving to regulatory roles and being very successful in them, with National Futures Association President Robert Wilmouth being the example. 

 

I think Mr. Vitale's experience heading the CBOT, being a top banker and his non-Beltway experience would be a good combination for the needs of the marketplace.  We need someone free from the conflicts that confronted the former SEC Chairman and has a good understanding how the markets work.  Mr. Vitale meets that description and offers someone whose understanding of the markets bridges the futures, options and securities industries.  With these industries converging, this experience and perspective would be invaluable. 

 

David Vitale would help the public regain trust in the markets and I believe is worthy of consideration for this position.  Someone please tell the Whitehouse I said so.

 

**********

 

It has been my pleasure to know Bernard Dan since he assumed his position as Executive Vice President of the CBOT.  I think his selection as the President of the CBOT, succeeding Mr. Vitale, is an inspired one and I congratulated the CBOT Board of Directors for turning to Mr. Dan.

 

I don't always agree with Bernie, as he is called by his friends and associates.  But I respect him immensely and even more important, I trust him.  I trust that he  will put his tremendous energies into making the CBOT the best exchange it can be, in whatever form that is.  I trust him as a leader, and as a listener.  As a former "Customer's Man" as President and CEO of Cargill Investor Services, I know he can balance the needs of the customers and the needs of the exchange membership.

 

I don't know how things are going to turn out at the CBOT, given the tremendous change occurring in the futures and securities industry, but I feel good about the CBOT knowing that Bernie Dan is its President.

 

Anyone know where I can get a "In Bernie I Trust" button?

 

*********

 

Congratulations to Mr. Dan's long time CIS association Peter Wind for being hired by Penson Worldwide.

 

********

 

Oak Trading Systems and Iowa Grain held a demonstration of their new Oak, Level II trading platform.  All I have to say is what I told a reporter for Futures Magazine at the event, "John Walls ( the developer of Oak) is one of the smartest people in the futures industry I know and he has built a great complete trading system."

 

*********

 

I take exception to a sentence in a Financial Times story about David Vitale's departure from the CBOT.  In the story, Jeremy Grant of the Financial Times  wrote "The CBOT hired Mr Vitale, a former banker at Chicago-based Bank One, to help speed moves away from being run solely in its members’ interests." 

 

http://search.ft.com/search/article.html?id=021105006109&query=futures+trading+exchange&vsc_appId=totalSearch&state=Form

 

As a customer of the CBOT, and representative of other customers of the CBOT, I would never trade on any exchange that is "being run solely in its member's interests."  And I can't think of anyone I know who would either.  The CBOT may be a member run organization, but if they were not considering their customers' needs at all, they would not exist.  It takes two people who both think they are getting the better of the deal to make a trade, not one.

 

Running a successful exchange means managing the many different groups of interests and the CBOT has balanced those interests very well for a very long time.

 

That does not mean everyone will be happy, but the success and longevity of the CBOT and its record of integrity and innovation speak well to its balancing the many interests.  And this is an ongoing process that will ebb and flow, just like the markets.

 

Regards,

 

John J. Lothian

 

President

Electronic Trading Division

The Price Futures Group, Inc.

Chicago Board of Trade Building

141 West Jackson Blvd., Suite 1340A

Chicago, IL  60604

Ph: 1-800-713-0215 or 312-648-2426

Fax: 312-902-6437

email: jlothian@pricegroup.com

URL: www.pricegroupetd.com or www.pricegroup.com

 

Disclaimer: This letter is strictly the opinion of its writer, and not necessarily those of The Price Group and its management, and is intended solely for informative purposes and is not to be construed, under any circumstances, by implication or otherwise, as an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy or trade in any commodities or securities herein named. Information is obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but is in no way guaranteed.  No guarantee of any kind is implied or possible where projections of future conditions are attempted.  Security futures are not suitable for all customers.

Futures and options trading involve risk.  Past results are no indication of future performance.