巴克莱丑闻暴露银行业系统性腐败

    天知道写下下面这些邮件内容的家伙将来会是什么下场？他们会被指控操纵市场吗？至少他们应被指为愚蠢。在“绝非虚构”的小标题下，彭博披露：

    巴克莱驻纽约的一位高级交易员就3个月利率给报价的伦敦银行家写了一份电子邮件：“嗨，伙计们，未来三天我们有一笔3个月的libor大单。接下来几天能把Libor定在5.39吗？如果是这样，那就大忙了。我们不希望定价高于这个水平。多谢。”

    报价的伦敦银行家回信显示，这种要求似乎已经司空见惯。邮件中写道“愿意为你效劳”，“搞定了……兄弟”。交易员再表示感谢，“老兄，欠你个人情！”“哪天下班后过来，我们开瓶Bollinger香槟。”

    巴克莱交易员还和其他银行的对手方协调。根据一项即时聊天记录，一位巴克莱交易员给另一家银行的交易员写道：“如果你能保守秘密，我可以给你透露点口风。我们将把现金利率推低……我知道我们司库部的能量……别告诉别人，否则就不管用了。”

    如果最好的防卫是主动出击，其他可能卷入丑闻的银行早已行动起来。怎么行动？日前，《华尔街日报》（WSJ）报道，已有多家银行要求法院驳回Libor案。且慢，先生们，先查查公司的往来邮件吧。

    我一直说，不能相信银行业的自我监管。巴克莱丑闻曝光能推动这方面做出必要的改变吗？

    Larry是华尔街资深人士，曾在第一波士顿、贝尔斯登和Union Bank等银行就职。他的博客地址是www.senseoncents.com

    译者：早稻米

    Who knows what the future might hold for the individuals who wrote the following. Will they be indicted for market manipulation? They should certainly be indicted for stupidity. Under the heading of "you cannot make this stuff up," Bloomberg reveals,

    Here's an e-mail about the three- month rate from a senior Barclays trader in New York to the London banker who submitted the rates: "Hi Guys, We got a big position in 3m libor for the next 3 days. Can we please keep the lib or fixing at 5.39 for the next few days. It would really help. We do not want it to fix any higher than that. Tks a lot."

    Bankers submitting rates responded to such requests as if they were routine: "For you, anything," and "done … for you big boy," according to the e-mails. Not that the efforts went unappreciated: "Dude. I owe you big time!" one trader wrote to a Libor submitter. "Come over one day after work and I'm opening a bottle of Bollinger."

    Barclays traders also coordinated with counterparts from other banks. In an instant message, one Barclays trader wrote to a trader at another bank: "If you know how to keep a secret I'll bring you in on it, we're going to push the cash downwards. … I know my treasury's firepower … please keep it to yourself otherwise it won't work."

    If the best defense is a good offense, other banks likely to be dragged into this scandal are already hard at work. How so? Late yesterday afternoon, the WSJ reported Banks Seek Dismissal of Libor Suit. Not so fast, gentlemen. Let's see the e-mail exchanges first.

    I have long maintained, that the banking industry shouldn't be trusted to regulate itself. Will this scandal bring about the necessary change on that front?

    Larry is a Wall Street veteran, having worked at such banks as First Boston, Bear Stearns and Union Bank. He blogs at www.senseoncents.com