Peterson drafts legislation to end speculation in derivatives


Originally a CDS (credit default swap) was a protection against the default of an underlying bond, usually a mortgage. It was a fine idea.

But now enter the speculators who developed a scheme to trade these CDS's independent of the underlying mortgage. This has developed into a $30,000 billion dollar trading market. It is this market that is destroying world economies like they are twigs snapped in the wind.

Enter now a voice of reason. Democrats led by Collin Peterson, House Agriculture Committee chairman are drafting a bill that would limit the use of a CDS to match exactly an underlying position in the actual bonds. Under his bill, the ban would extend to over-the-counter derivatives, not just credit derivatives which are cleared by clearing houses.

Well, this draft has driven the supporters of unregulated CDS's crazy. What a wonderful way to go -- right to the asylum where they belong for what they did to the world economies. They claim it would just about shut down the derivatives market. That's fine. Ending the wild speculation and greed of the past decade is the right thing to do.

What are your feelings on this matter?

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

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