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BAWAG LOAN SCAM SKIM
New York Post – April 29, 2006 — Bawag, the Austrian bank at the center of the Refco scandal admitted yesterday that its hidden loans to Refco were secretly guaranteed by up to 27 percent of the collapsed futures trading titan's equity. The secret loans bagged

HedgeStreet, WhisperNumber launch co-branded Web site
San Jose Business Journal – HedgeStreet .com , an online, government-regulated market where traders speculate on economic events, said Thursday it joined with WhisperNumber .com to launch a co-branded Web site. The site will allow WhisperNumber members to trade on San Mateo

New products, partnerships to fuel CBOT growth
Crain's Chicago Business – (Crain s) The Chicago Board of Trade touted operational improvements and reiterated its commitment to both electronic and open-outcry trading at its first annual meeting Tuesday. And the company intends to fuel growth this year through new

Ultracrepidarian Musings
Safe Haven – A letter from a reader takes me to task for my missive"Bull in Bear's Skin?"saying that I am an"ultracrepidarian"out of my depth. This rarely used English word covers a person who exceeds his competence in passing judgment on matters about which

Gasoline prices to drop on Monday
Victoria Advocate – DETROIT – Motorists can expect significant fuel price drops Monday, after crude oil prices fell for the second consecutive day Thursday. The price of crude oil – the feedstock for gasoline – dropped to $69.30 a barrel in midday futures trading before

CME sees forex trading best opportunity for'06 growth
Crain's Chicago Business – (Crain's) Chicago Mercantile Exchange Holdings Inc. wrapped up its sixth year in a row of record-breaking performance, and the exchange is focused on foreign exchange trading as its single best opportunity for further growth in 2006. Foreign

Merc Oils Golden Engines
Forbes – With gold passing the magic $600 per ounce barrier and oil once again headed toward $70 per barrel, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange , the biggest U.S. derivatives trading market, has plans to link with the New York Mercantile Exchange in a variety of

Bush nominates KU graduate to chair FDIC board of directors
Wichita Eagle – WASHINGTON – A University of Kansas graduate and Independence native was nominated today to head the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. President Bush nominated Sheila Bair to a five-year term to chair the board of directors at the FDIC. Bair is

Trial getting personal for Lay
Houston Chronicle – Pastors, pals and professors are on deck to take the stand for the defense in the Enron trial this week, as Ken Lay wraps up his testimony. Lay's defense team will call four character witnesses, including two local ministers and the owner of the

House gas hearing and Michigan tourism
WZZM 13 – Lansing – A congressional committee questioned commodity trading officials on the reasons for increases in both oil and gas prices. They told the house agriculture committee Thursday that instability in oil producing regions and uncertainty over