Sense on Cents

Two weeks ago on an afternoon visit to New York City, I was struck by the changed tone, atmosphere, and demeanor during the meetings I had with a number of Wall Street professionals. The fact that the tone has changed does not necessarily mean that the industry as a whole is entirely chastened by the failings—if not worse—both going into and coming out of the crisis. Without deeply meaningful efforts and accompanying results to promote real transparency and increased disclosures, the industry will continue to fight to maintain ‘business as usual.’ It is an uphill battle.

Further evidence of this reality is provided today with the news that JP Morgan is shutting down its proprietary trading operations. Bloomberg reports, JP Morgan Said to End Proprietary Trading to Meet Volcker Rule:

JPMorgan Chase & Co. told traders who bet on commodities for the firm’s account that their unit will be closed as the company, the second-biggest U.S. bank by assets, starts to shut down all proprietary trading, according to a person briefed on the matter.

The bank eventually will close all in-house trading to comply with new U.S. curbs on investment banks, said the person, who asked not to be identified because New York-based JPMorgan’s decision hasn’t been made public. (more…)