Mark Johnson
So the wait is over for Mark Johnson, his family and friends, and the news is not good, as we reported last week. There is not a lot to say about this from his perspective, thankfully most, if not all, of us have no idea what it is like to be incarcerated, we can only […]
Although there was plenty of news for Profit & Loss’ managing editor, Colin Lambert, and editor, Galen Stops, to get their teeth stuck into this week, the duo focused on just three main stories. First of all, they discuss the news that former HSBC head of cash FX trading, Mark Johnson, has lost his appeal […]
It’s been a busy 20 years since Profit & Loss launched. Colin Lambert and Galen Stops have picked out 20 key events or trends during that time and asked senior industry figures for their perspective on them – here’s numbers 15-11. 15. Last Look “Last look is a cancer at the heart of the foreign […]
In what may be a significant decision for the foreign exchange industry, former HSBC head of cash FX trading Mark Johnson has lost his appeal to have his conviction and sentence overturned in the US. In their decision, justices Calabresi, Lohier and Donnelly, say: “We conclude that there was sufficient evidence to convict Johnson on […]
In the FICC of it is one year old this week, and, aside from expressing surprise they got this far, Colin Lambert and Galen Stops celebrate by plunging into two of the themes covered in the first podcast that still resonate today. Stops talks about the evolution of Euronext FX and has two questions for […]
I have had a chance now to listen to the oral arguments given in the Mark Johnson appeal and while my underlying belief that this is a wrong conviction remains unshaken it is also clear to me that few involved in this case from the legal fraternity actually understand foreign exchange markets and how they […]
I have been keen in the past (appropriately so I still believe) to argue that the FX industry could do much more to help Mark Johnson fight his case and appeal against conviction for misconduct. The judges are apparently now considering whether striking down the conviction would mean a return to the “wild west” in […]
I may, not for the first time, be reading too much into a brief sentence, but I found it significant in my conversation with Simon Potter, outgoing chair of the Global FX Committee, that when talking about the review of the Code he mentioned “the handling of larger orders” as one area of possible review. […]
Written testimony has been lodged relating to former HSBC FX trading head Mark Johnson’s appeal against his conviction for wire fraud in the US and it contains a few surprises – some of which may indicate stronger implications for the FX industry than the original trial, as Colin Lambert discovers.The original trial of HSBC’s former global head of FX trading Mark Johnson was widely seen in the FX industry as being, aside from the outcome on his personal circumstances, a single issue case – what would the US legal system say about pre-hedging? The initial outcome – which is now being appealed – was a conviction and a jail sentence under the very broad umbrella of “wire fraud”, a decision that was seen as potentially having an impact on the FX Global Code, which explicitly (under certain circumstances), endorses the practice.
Written testimony has been lodged relating to former HSBC FX trading head Mark Johnson’s appeal against his conviction for wire fraud in the US and it contains a few surprises – some of which may indicate stronger implications for the FX industry than the original trial, as Colin Lambert discovers.The original trial of HSBC’s former global head of FX trading Mark Johnson was widely seen in the FX industry as being, aside from the outcome on his personal circumstances, a single issue case – what would the US legal system say about pre-hedging? The initial outcome – which is now being appealed – was a conviction and a jail sentence under the very broad umbrella of “wire fraud”, a decision that was seen as potentially having an impact on the FX Global Code, which explicitly (under certain circumstances), endorses the practice.
