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Gold Anti Trust Action Committee Urges SEC, CFTC To Probe Goldman Trading Program

Tyler Durden's picture




And so it develops. From the GATA press release:

 

Dear Friend of GATA and Gold:

GATA today urged the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission to investigate the Goldman Sachs Group Inc. computer trading program that, according to a federal prosecutor, the bank acknowledges can be used to manipulate markets.

GATA's complaint referred to the Bloomberg News story dispatched to you yesterday --

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a_6d.tyNe1KQ)

-- reporting the arraignment in U.S. District Court in New York of a former Goldman Sachs employee accused of stealing the program. The prosecutor, Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Facciponti, was quoted as telling the court: "The bank has raised the possibility that there is a danger that somebody who knew how to use this program could use it to manipulate markets in unfair ways."

In letters to the SEC and CFTC, GATA wrote: "The assistant U.S. attorney's comment can be construed to suggest Goldman Sachs considers its own manipulation of markets to be fair, while such manipulation by others would be unfair. The court proceeding described in the Bloomberg News story would seem to impugn all markets in which Goldman Sachs trades."

GATA asked each commission "to investigate Goldman Sachs' trading program urgently and report its findings publicly."

The text of GATA's letters is appended.

CHRIS POWELL, Secretary/Treasurer
Gold Anti-Trust Action Committee Inc.

* * *

GOLD ANTI-TRUST ACTION COMMITTEE INC.
7 Villa Louisa Road, Manchester, Connecticut 06043-7541

July 7, 2009

Gary Gensler, Chairman
U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission
3 Lafayette Centre
1155 21st St., N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20581

Mary L. Schapiro, Chairman
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
100 F St. N.E.
Washington, D.C. 20549

Dear Chairman Gensler / Dear Chairman Schapiro:

I'm enclosing a copy of a report distributed July 6 by Bloomberg News Service about the U.S. government's prosecution of a former employee of Goldman Sachs Group Inc. involving the purported theft of a Goldman Sachs computer trading program. The report quotes Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Faccipointi as saying in U.S. District Court in New York City: "The bank has raised the possibility that there is a danger that somebody who knew how to use this program could use it to manipulate markets in unfair ways."

If the report quotes the assistant U.S. attorney correctly, and if he was characterizing Goldman Sachs' position correctly, then Goldman Sachs claims to have possession of a computer trading program that can manipulate markets. The assistant U.S. attorney's comment can be construed to suggest Goldman Sachs considers its own manipulation of markets to be fair, while such manipulation by others would be unfair.

The court proceeding described in the Bloomberg News story would seem to impugn all markets in which Goldman Sachs trades. On behalf of the Gold Anti-Trust Action Committee Inc., I ask your commission to investigate Goldman Sachs' trading program urgently and report its findings publicly.

Thanks for your consideration.

With good wishes.

CHRIS POWELL
Secretary/Treasurer

 

Hat Tip: Jeff




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Tue, 07/07/2009 - 20:33 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 07/08/2009 - 03:37 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 07/08/2009 - 07:48 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Thu, 12/24/2009 - 00:56 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Tue, 07/07/2009 - 20:42 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Tue, 07/07/2009 - 20:50 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 07/15/2009 - 12:15 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 07/15/2009 - 12:28 | Link to Comment louis vuitton (not verified)
Tue, 07/07/2009 - 21:10 | Link to Comment arnoldsimage
arnoldsimage's picture


good evening my fat, stupid american friends... hahahahahaha... or should i say, my fat, stupid american pussies... hahahahahha... oh yes, yes you are... pussies, pussies, pussies... hahahahha... how many times must i tell you... you can blog your happy asses off as much as you want... you can write the sec??... wtf? ... hahahahahha... the sec? the sec?...HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA... you motherfuckers are the most incredibly stupid bunch of bloggers in the fucking universe...hahahahahahha... there is only ONE thing these criminal cocksuckers understand... hahahahahahahaa ... and guess what... it's not your fucking blogs or any websites complaining 'bout all the injustices of goldman and such... they WILL understand a nice, thick rope... hahahahaha... yes, yes... i promise you get much done real soon with a nice thick rope... and there are many lamp posts near 85 broad... quit being pussies. hahahahaha

Tue, 07/07/2009 - 21:31 | Link to Comment My cognitive di...
My cognitive dissonance's picture

Wow! That must be some wicked gateway.

Tue, 07/07/2009 - 21:35 | Link to Comment Dayton Ohio
Dayton Ohio's picture

have some patience, some style, some form. arnold.

let tyler shep the herd toward 85 B-road.

in due time the criminal cocksuckers will go down.

 

 

 

 

Wed, 07/08/2009 - 14:05 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 07/08/2009 - 03:04 | Link to Comment kapillar
kapillar's picture

Arnold. Please return to the middle ages and consider joining an order that required silence and prayer from its members.

Wed, 07/08/2009 - 05:21 | Link to Comment Shaza (not verified)
Tue, 07/07/2009 - 21:18 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Tue, 07/07/2009 - 21:31 | Link to Comment dnarby
dnarby's picture

While GATA might be doing this for the wrong reasons, it is the right thing to do.

 

Goldman is screwed.  Either their proggy actually does manipulate markets, and they have admitted to breaking the law, or it doesn't, which means the proggy really isn't that special after all, so no reason to prosecute Ivan.

 

If this goes to the wall, they could use this as a reason to investigate the other investment banks, and take these away from all of them (or intentionally increase their latency times so these programs can't work anymore (they need a low-latency connection)).

 

If they take it away from Goldman, then they will (ironically) become an ally in taking it away from all of the IB's, because they wouldn't want these other banks to have an unfair advantage..!  Ha ha ha haa haaa!

Thu, 07/09/2009 - 11:38 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Tue, 07/07/2009 - 22:01 | Link to Comment ardano
ardano's picture

WSJ just posted a story with the headline, "Oil 'Speculators' Under Fire."

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124700398437207969.html#mod=testMod

The jist of the story  highlights efforts by some key Senators/Members to define speculators and speculation in energy futures markets.  The Journal already carried a story regarding CFTC action on this issue and an op/ed piece.  Of course most readers here are of the opinion that the only thing wrong with the energy futures markets comes from manipulation by a few sainted players and not from evil speculators. 

What surprises me is how much dumb money is invested in long-only indexes, which of course make no sense when applied to commodities futures.  The very fact that, according to the article, some $300B is invested in this manner means that someone, (GS,) is hedging this, front running it and leveraging it. 

But, hey let's get those evil speculators...

Wed, 07/08/2009 - 00:23 | Link to Comment gookempucky
gookempucky's picture

Truly the press will gloss over any and all truth-so
as the spec's are blamed the big crooks try and slither away. This country gobbles 20 mbpd while the price is driven by the "inventory numbers" is by far the biggest joke on the planet-a mb up or down doesnt even get the USA 2 hours of driving time-now thats funny shit. SPR will give USA about
38-42 days and that is what the CFTC should be investigating as rumours have circulated that our sweet oil SPR inventories are being siphoned off to pay IOUs. I would imagine GS has quite a number of tankers just setting and waiting for the right manipulation err moment to offload.
Personnaly I can't wait till these guys eat KA KA.

Tue, 07/07/2009 - 22:18 | Link to Comment Bubby BankenStein
Bubby BankenStein's picture

Great reporting Tyler!

Additional exposure of these complaints in forums like Zero Hedge will contribute to getting issues adjudicated.

Thank you.

Tue, 07/07/2009 - 22:30 | Link to Comment pancho
pancho's picture

well seeing as how the SEC probably couldn't make heads or tales of the code they won't even bother.  They'll look at it, start to cry, hit the delete key, state "no wrong doing."

Wed, 07/08/2009 - 06:58 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Tue, 07/07/2009 - 22:46 | Link to Comment Miles Kendig
Miles Kendig's picture

And the hits must keep on ronning...

Tue, 07/07/2009 - 22:53 | Link to Comment PenGun
PenGun's picture

 Indeed the press is bound, with chains, to gloss all this over. Spreading the news widely is useful.

 "And the beat goes on"

Tue, 07/07/2009 - 23:54 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Tue, 07/07/2009 - 23:56 | Link to Comment agrotera
agrotera's picture

This looks like a little light in a very dark tunnel.  I am jumping for joy to read the brave words! BRAVO Chris Powell and of course, thank you for this news Marla and Tyler et al!

Wed, 07/08/2009 - 00:06 | Link to Comment My cognitive di...
My cognitive dissonance's picture
Overstating the obvious gets you nowhere...but it shows you're trying.
Wed, 07/08/2009 - 00:09 | Link to Comment FischerBlack
FischerBlack's picture

Actually, having GATA on board with demands for transparency doesn't exactly bolster the case. The regulators have been ignoring Chris Powell for a decade 

Wed, 07/08/2009 - 00:26 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 07/08/2009 - 01:08 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 07/08/2009 - 07:01 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 07/08/2009 - 12:51 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 07/08/2009 - 13:04 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 07/08/2009 - 02:34 | Link to Comment ShankyS
ShankyS's picture

$2mn fine and no admission of guilt. Same old story. do you actually think anyone will ever have to acmit to doing anything wrong? Sad.

Wed, 07/08/2009 - 02:43 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 07/08/2009 - 05:33 | Link to Comment Tyler Durden
Tyler Durden's picture

If someone wants to spend the time to make spoof sites of Zerohedge, more power to them. We love the free publicity. Also, I could not have come up with a better instruction manual - the kid that wrote it is pretty good. When he gets fired he/she should join Zero Hedge.

Wed, 07/08/2009 - 21:30 | Link to Comment spud
spud's picture

With less than 200 hits to his main message, he already waffled and instead reposted my 18 bullet point comments.  Riding on someone elses coattail with the domain, and now baited into my content instead of his.  Thanks for the complement!

wannabe? hater? c'mon zh.net can't Joe Sixpack be just as outlandish as you?  Could he really believe I think he creates domains for ad revenue? lol 

Tyler, I always thought that my first post about you and your content would be on your site.  I wanted to call TheInsider a pansy.  I wanted to respond to the Gen-X comment.  This was too precious to pass up however, and so he can have my financial blog posting cherry, it was good for a laugh.

I will now go back to lurking.  Please just keep doing exactly what you are doing, you have my blessings, and a safe return home.

Wed, 07/08/2009 - 02:46 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 07/08/2009 - 13:09 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 07/08/2009 - 03:01 | Link to Comment hedgnome
hedgnome's picture

Now who at the SEC, or what federal prosecutor would have the balls to even mention such a thing under their breath.

Not going to happen.

Wed, 07/08/2009 - 04:08 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 07/08/2009 - 10:42 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 07/08/2009 - 10:53 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Thu, 07/09/2009 - 01:02 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Fri, 07/10/2009 - 04:39 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Fri, 07/10/2009 - 12:14 | Link to Comment daveM
daveM's picture

Fortunate we are that Tyler spends the time to research and discuss these issues.......

Fri, 07/10/2009 - 15:07 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Sat, 07/11/2009 - 21:34 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 07/15/2009 - 12:16 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Thu, 11/05/2009 - 17:40 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Thu, 11/05/2009 - 17:41 | Link to Comment Anonymous
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