infamy: the worlds largest trade losses and the losers

While the world loves to watch how great traders continue to amass fortunes, let's take a look at those found their place in infamy by losing fortunes in trading.

The latest to join the list of infamy is a frenchman named Jerome Kerviel. He has been charged in the January 2008 Société Générale trading loss incident, resulting in losses valued at approximately €4.9 billion. ($7.5B)

Others:
1. Nick Leeson: Barings PLC, Britain's oldest investment banking firm, collapsed after one of its Singapore-based securities traders (Nick Leeson) lost more than $1.4 billion by gambling on Tokyo stock prices; http://www.kipnotes.com/Scandal.htm

2. Yasuo Hamanaka : a Japanese national caused a loss of about $2.6 billion, over ten years, in unauthorized copper trading on the London Metal Exchange (wikipedia)

3. John Meriwether an american, lost $4.6 billion trading interest rate and equity derivatives in 1998. He was working for Long Term Capital Management. (wikipedia)

4. Brian Hunter : A canadian, lost $6.5 billion trading gas futures working for Amaranth Advisors in 2006 (wikipedia)

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