gipa69 ha scritto:
Con la concentrazione del risparmio e della ricchezza in corso (sia dal punto di vista delle società gestrici sia dal punto di vista dei patrimoni personali) lo sanno.... parlo dei big big... ehh... gli altri seguono a ruota lecchinando per sapere le informazioni giuste.
giusto per confermare il discorso della concentrazione del mercato....
Fed Warns Of Illicit Bond Activity
Traders May Have Manipulated Supply
By Nell Henderson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, November 7, 2006; Page D01
The Federal Reserve put traders on notice yesterday that it is scrutinizing activity in the bond market, highlighting recent concerns that some traders may have made illicit profits by manipulating securities prices.
Dino Kos, executive vice president of the markets group at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, led an hour-long discussion of such concerns yesterday with representatives of the bank's 22 primary dealers -- the banks and securities firms that trade Treasury securities with the central bank.
The Fed meets with its dealers periodically to discuss market issues, but this was the first session devoted to suspicions at the Treasury Department about possible manipulation of the market for government bills, notes and bonds, and for futures contracts and other financial contracts linked to the securities.
The government's concerns were detailed in a Sept. 27 speech by James Clouse, deputy assistant Treasury secretary for federal finance. He described ways in which traders could control the supply of highly sought Treasury securities, driving up their prices. Such practices enable traders to borrow money at low interest rates and then invest it at higher rates to earn a profit.
The U.S. Treasury market plays a critical role in the global financial system, allowing the federal government to borrow and pay for its activities, providing benchmarks to lenders setting interest rates, and serving as a tool for the Fed to adjust interest rates in its efforts to control inflation and encourage economic growth. "Ensuring the integrity of the Treasury market is essential," Clouse said in his speech.
Over the past two years, government agencies that monitor financial markets have "observed instances in which firms appeared to gain a significant degree of control over highly sought-after Treasury issues and seemed to use that market power to their advantage," Clouse said. "In the process, prices in the . . . markets appear to have been distorted to varying degrees."
Clouse noted that some of the trading patterns may have innocent explanations. But he warned that others might violate securities laws that prohibit market manipulation. Neither Clouse nor the Fed would identify which firms have engaged in questionable trading. The Fed regulates major banks but does not investigate suspected trading violations.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which enforces securities laws, declined to say whether it was investigating any specific firms and declined to comment on the Fed's meeting. The Wall Street Journal has reported that the SEC is probing UBS AG, which has said it is cooperating with government authorities.
The Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association, which represents bond traders, declined to comment on the Fed meeting and statement. But it plans to organize discussions with Treasury to clarify which trading practices are causing concern, said Robert Toomey, the group's vice president and assistant general counsel.
"Our members want to make sure they're on the compliance side of the line, so I think some clarity would help," Toomey said.