Meet the London trader who is making headlines for all the wrong reasons. As the Greek economy verges on collapse and European leaders move to head off another recession, Alessio Rastani told the BBC overnight:
“I’m a trader, I don’t really care about that sort of stuff. If I see an opportunity to make money I go with that. So most traders, it’s not about, we don’t really care that much how they’re going to fix the economy, how they’re going to fix the whole situation, our job is to make money from it. And personally, I’ve been dreaming of this moment for three years. I have a confession which is I go to bed every night and dream of another recession. I dream of another moment like this. Why? Because, people don’t really seem to remember, but the ’30s Depression, the Depression in the ’30s, wasn’t just about market crash. There are some people who were prepared to make money from that crash and I think anyone can do that …”
Richard Farmer today points to a Swiss university study, as detailed by Der Spiegel, that concluded market traders are more reckless than the rest of us and perhaps “more manipulative than psychopaths”.
Or to quote the startled BBC interviewer in response to the now-famous markets expert: “Jaws have collectively dropped at what you just said. I appreciate your candour, but it doesn’t help the rest of us does it, or the rest of the eurozone?”
Comforting to see capitalism in such humane hands.
Obviously, this Gen Y opportunist doesn’t have a clue how badly the Depression hit society. He should look at some old footage of the men queueing for jobs or a food handout for their families, the hopelessness of their body-language, the shame and despair in their eyes. If he’s sufficiently literate perhaps Mr Rastani would glean some insight from reading Steinbeck’s ‘The Grapes Of Wrath’.
Best of British luck, Mr Rastani – keep a vigilant eye out for other traders even more avaricious and rat-cunning than yourself lest you and your fortune be gobbled up.
I suspect he would have made a great doctor or a brilliant scientist, if that was the profession he had chosen. In other words, we have not been cursed with a batch of bad apples who are now running the world – capitalism maketh the man.
I’ve long thought that we’d all be a lot better off without the stock exchange and traders! And investment advisors!
Looks like one of the ‘Yes Men’ to me. The guys are pretty good at disguise, but I am pretty sure that’s Jacques Servin. Check out http://vimeo.com/10788590 and see what you think.