Alexis Stenfors

Suomalainen Alexis Stenfors toimi 15 vuotta investointipankkiirina alan tärkeimmissä pankeissa (HSBC, Citi, Credit Agricole ja Merrill Lynch), kunnes jäi vuonna 2009 kiinni sijoitussalkkunsa arvon vääristelystä. Kaupoillaan hän aiheutti työnantajalleen 465 miljoonan euron tappiot ja menetti itse työnsä ja maineensa. Riskitekijä on Stenforsiin omakohtaisiin kokemuksiin perustuva selvitys pankki- ja rahoitusalan ongelmista: markkinoiden ja korkojen manipuloinnista, asiakkaiden huijaamisesta sekä kannustinjärjestelmistä, jotka piiskaavat treidaajia ottamaan koko ajan suurempia riskejä. Silloin tällöin kiinni jäävät huijaripankkiirit ovat Stenforsin mukaan vain oire alan syvemmistä rakenteellisista ongelmista. Pankit saavat pitkälti itse päättää rahoitusalan pelisäännöistä ja toimia oman pelinsä erotuomareina. Stenfors valaisee kiehtovasti globaalia finanssitaloutta pyörittävien treidaajien mielenmaisemaa. Nykyään Stenfors opettaa taloustiedettä ja rahoitusta Portsmouth Business Schoolissa. Kirjan väitteet perustuvat tekijän kokemusten lisäksi hänen akateemiseen tutkimustyöhönsä.

The LIBOR affair has been described as the ‘biggest banking scandal in history’, a deception affecting not only banks but also corporations, pension funds and ordinary people. But was this just the tip of the iceberg? Was the scandal the work of a few ‘bad apples’ or an inevitable result of a financial system rotten to its core? Labelled ‘one of the world's most infamous rogue traders’ in the wake of a mis-marking scandal, Alexis Stenfors went on to rebuild his life and now guides us through the shadowy world of modern banking, providing an insider’s account of the secret practices – including the manipulation of foreign exchange rates – which have allowed banks to profit from systematic deception. Containing remarkable and often shocking insights derived from his own experiences in the dealing room, as well as his spectacular fall from grace at Merrill Lynch, Barometer of Fear draws back the curtain to a realm that for too long has remained hidden from public view.

The LIBOR affair has been described as the ‘biggest banking scandal in history’, a deception affecting not only banks but also corporations, pension funds and ordinary people. But was this just the tip of the iceberg? Was the scandal the work of a few ‘bad apples’ or an inevitable result of a financial system rotten to its core? Labelled ‘one of the world's most infamous rogue traders’ in the wake of a mis-marking scandal, Alexis Stenfors went on to rebuild his life and now guides us through the shadowy world of modern banking, providing an insider’s account of the secret practices – including the manipulation of foreign exchange rates – which have allowed banks to profit from systematic deception. Containing remarkable and often shocking insights derived from his own experiences in the dealing room, as well as his spectacular fall from grace at Merrill Lynch, Barometer of Fear draws back the curtain to a realm that for too long has remained hidden from public view.