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Saturday 18 October 2008
Trader Takes Own Life Over Large Losses
An S&P 500 futures trader died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound just hours after losing several million dollars Wednesday, one of Wall Street’s most volatile days.
(Crain’s) — An S&P 500 futures trader died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound just hours after losing several million dollars Wednesday, one of Wall Street’s most volatile days.
Joseph Anthony Luizzi, 44, of Oak Brook, died in west suburban Berwyn, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office. He left a note.
“He explained to his wife that he had made a substantial loss and was despondent that he could never regain that loss,” said Berwyn Police Chief William Kushner.
A 20-year veteran of the trading floor, Mr. Luizzi was registered as a floor broker at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and cleared through DAW Trading, a division of futures brokerage Rosenthal Collins Group LLC.
Rosenthal Collins CEO Scott Gordon declined to comment. RCG, which backed Mr. Luizzi’s trades, has more than $1 billion in customer funds.
“These are dangerous times in the markets, and anything could happen at any moment,” says Eric Reinholtz, a broker for DAW who said Mr. Luizzi was an Everyman of traders. “Obviously, the worst has happened now.”
Mr. Luizzi worked with XFA Chicago until he left about a month ago. Before that, he was a vice-president of HSBC Securities USA.
On Wednesday, Mr. Luizzi made a substantial number of personal trades that failed, according to the police report. Found in his coat pocket were trading cards that had not been turned in, the report said.
He was found about 7 a.m. Thursday morning in front of a firehouse near Metra tracks and just blocks from a second home he and his wife owned in Berwyn, according to police. Mr. Luizzi’s car was found parked in front of the home.
He was pronounced dead at MacNeal Hospital in Berwyn.
News of Mr. Luizzi’s death stunned Chicago’s trading community.
Groups of traders and clerks stood in small groups on CME’s trading floor Friday morning talking about the long-time trader.
“It’s a great loss,” close friend Maria Fernandez said.
“He was a sweet guy,” said a teary Sharon Sumler. “He had such a warm spirit.”
Independent traders like Mr. Luizzi typically buy and sell throughout the day. In volatile markets, even a few wrong-way bets can have big repercussions.
“We express our condolences and sympathy for family, friends and all who knew him,” said a CME spokeswoman, who declined to comment further.
Mr. Luizzi’s death came hours after a plunge in the stock market. The S&P 500 posted its biggest gain since the 1930s on Monday before plunging the most since the crash of 1987 on Wednesday. It lost 9% to close at 907.84. The same day, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 7.9%.
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Trader Takes Own Life Over Large Losses
By Ann Saphir and Shia Kapos
17 October 2008
(Crain’s) — An S&P 500 futures trader died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound just hours after losing several million dollars Wednesday, one of Wall Street’s most volatile days.
Joseph Anthony Luizzi, 44, of Oak Brook, died in west suburban Berwyn, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office. He left a note.
“He explained to his wife that he had made a substantial loss and was despondent that he could never regain that loss,” said Berwyn Police Chief William Kushner.
A 20-year veteran of the trading floor, Mr. Luizzi was registered as a floor broker at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and cleared through DAW Trading, a division of futures brokerage Rosenthal Collins Group LLC.
Rosenthal Collins CEO Scott Gordon declined to comment. RCG, which backed Mr. Luizzi’s trades, has more than $1 billion in customer funds.
“These are dangerous times in the markets, and anything could happen at any moment,” says Eric Reinholtz, a broker for DAW who said Mr. Luizzi was an Everyman of traders. “Obviously, the worst has happened now.”
Mr. Luizzi worked with XFA Chicago until he left about a month ago. Before that, he was a vice-president of HSBC Securities USA.
On Wednesday, Mr. Luizzi made a substantial number of personal trades that failed, according to the police report. Found in his coat pocket were trading cards that had not been turned in, the report said.
He was found about 7 a.m. Thursday morning in front of a firehouse near Metra tracks and just blocks from a second home he and his wife owned in Berwyn, according to police. Mr. Luizzi’s car was found parked in front of the home.
He was pronounced dead at MacNeal Hospital in Berwyn.
News of Mr. Luizzi’s death stunned Chicago’s trading community.
Groups of traders and clerks stood in small groups on CME’s trading floor Friday morning talking about the long-time trader.
“It’s a great loss,” close friend Maria Fernandez said.
“He was a sweet guy,” said a teary Sharon Sumler. “He had such a warm spirit.”
Independent traders like Mr. Luizzi typically buy and sell throughout the day. In volatile markets, even a few wrong-way bets can have big repercussions.
“We express our condolences and sympathy for family, friends and all who knew him,” said a CME spokeswoman, who declined to comment further.
Mr. Luizzi’s death came hours after a plunge in the stock market. The S&P 500 posted its biggest gain since the 1930s on Monday before plunging the most since the crash of 1987 on Wednesday. It lost 9% to close at 907.84. The same day, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 7.9%.
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