CREATING MARKET CONDITIONS?
Trader ‘Dreams’ Of Stock Crash, Says Goldman Sachs Rules World
FINANCIAL TRADER ALESSIO RASTANI gobsmacked BBC News when he declared that millions of people’s savings would vanish within a year, the stock market couldn’t be fixed, and that “this is just the beginning.” Economic collapse, he contended, was inevitable — but that the smart could profit from it.
“For most traders …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, I dream of another recession.” He says that’s because he’s prepared to make money from the collapse.
His most shocking punchline? “Governments don’t rule the world; Goldman rules it.”
Public reaction was swift and furious from those who thought Rastani a “vulture.”
“You ought to work as a sweeper, or rather as a astronaut to fly to the dark side of the moon — and that is a polite comment,” wrote one Facebook commenter.
But the taboo-talking trader also had fans: “Awesome interview,” countered commenter Cem Yurdum. “It was about time some sensible person got up and talked about the real thing. People who do not understand what he talks about are naive about the financial system and how money works.”
Taken aback by his words, the BBC nevertheless stood by their man: “We’ve carried out detailed investigations and can’t find any evidence to suggest that the interview with Alessio Rastani was a hoax. He is an independent market trader and one of a range of voices we’ve had on air to talk about the recession.”
The Telegraph, however, discovered that Alessio is £10,000 in the hole. And they elicited this comment from him: “I’m an attention seeker. That is the main reason I speak. That is the reason I agreed to go on the BBC. Trading is a like a hobby. It is not a business. I am a talker. I talk a lot. I love the whole idea of public speaking.”
Bottom line? He trades in chutzpah. And he struck one helluva nerve.
Nancy Zimmerman is a money coach who blogs at nancyzimmerman.com. Having emerged from a disastrous relationship with money herself several years ago, she helps folks regain control of their day-to-day finances. She writes weekly at CrabbyGolightly on money matters.
