The process of convincing powerful government officials to accept untold risk on derivatives trades can take some unusual and sometimes interesting turns. No, reference is not being made to the U.S. government’s accepting of big bank unregulated derivatives risk with very little accountability. This is about Colonel Muammar Gaddafi’s Libya, whose officials were sold derivatives that led to nearly $1 billion (£660million) in losses for the oil rich nation. Goldman Sach’s spat with Libya over derivatives trades When outrageous losses occur on a derivatives trade – the total investment was £800million, which included £200million commission paid to Goldman – it typically…
"Get Divorced From Your Wife For a Weekend," Derivatives Salesperson Tells Libyan Officials
Mark Melin
Mark Melin is an alternative investment practitioner whose specialty is recognizing the impact of beta market environment on a technical trading strategy. A portfolio and industry consultant, wrote or edited three books including High Performance Managed Futures (Wiley 2010) and The Chicago Board of Trade’s Handbook of Futures and Options (McGraw-Hill 2008) and taught a course at Northwestern University's executive education program.