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Down Daze


Options guru and veteran floor trader, Frank Fahey, leads off the show recapping a massive down-day in the markets. Joel Elconin of Benzinga reiterates how important experience is on days like this. Kenny Polcari, Director of NYSE Floor Operations at O’Neil Securities and a contributor to CNBC, wonders why we’re always surprised when these products blow up. Karl Denninger of Market Ticker rejoins the show and explains the volatility of the last two trading days. Finally, John Neal of PTI Securities & Futures‘ Peoria, AZ location says there’s no time like the present to buy portfolio protection. 

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Guests & Co-Hosts

FRANK FAHEY

Frank Fahey is a multidisciplinary professional with over 30 years experience in Options Trading and Sales Management with an exceptional track record of superior results in high risk-reward corporate and entrepreneurial environments. He has been a member of both the Chicago Board Options Exchange and the Chicago Board of Trade. Frank is one of the few non-exchange employees certified to teach classes on advanced options strategy and options volatility on behalf of the Options Industry Council. Frank is consulting with an international agricultural cooperative to develop and implement strategies to use options to enhance hedging of their crops. He has worked a CBOE DPM, to develop Vega and gamma focused algorithms and methodologies for computer-based tools, and is the ad-hoc risk manager and consulting strategist for a private family hedge fund. Frank has developed presentations, seminars, webinars, and course content for the Chicago Board Options Exchange, the Options Industry Council, DiscoverOptions, OptionVue, PEAK6 University and CzechWealth (Prague).

Check out Frank every Monday morning on Stocks & Jocks and read his blog on the Stocks & Jocks website!

JOEL ELCONIN

Joel’s introduction to trading was in the Standard and Poor’s 500 Index futures pit at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Also, during his time at the CME, he was involved in Index Arbitrage as well as trading foreign currency futures and options. From 1994-1999 he was a proprietary trader for Olde Discount Corporation. Following his tenure at Olde Discount, he founded the Detroit office of Bright Trading, LLC. His responsibilities included trader recruitment, orientation and education as well as the day to day management of the office. He held this position office until 2003. Since 2003, Joel has been an independent trader researching and developing proprietary indicators and trading systems for the equities and futures markets. In 2007, Joel joined JC Trading Group as a Market Consultant and trading supervisor. He provides daily market commentary at www.premarketinfo.com. Joel obtained his Bachelor of Art in Political Science from the University of Michigan in 1985. Also, he is a graduate of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange Continuing Education Program. He also holds his Series 7 and 63 licenses and is a licensed real estate broker.

KENNY POLCARI

In the realm of institutional financial services, Kenneth Polcari stands out as a go-to expert in starting up, turning around, and growing investment operations to consistent profitability and world-class service. His background in managing institutional relationships and directing trading strategies has given him the steely drive, inventiveness, and perseverance to prevail in the most volatile economic climates.

Currently Mr. Polcari is Director of NYSE Floor Operations at O’Neil Securities, Inc – the B/D division of Wm. O’Neil & Company out of Los Angeles, CA and represents the interests of global institutional asset managers that need to access the world’s equity markets. He is a Board Advisor/Markets Expert for The Integral Board Group and a speaker on behalf of The American College. Prior to this he was a Managing Director for 15 yrs at Icap Corps, LLC- a British based Inter-dealer Broker. Earlier in his career, Mr. Polcari served as Senior Vice President, member New York Stock Exchange and division manager with Salomon Brothers directing their NYSE Division during the heady bull market of the 1990’s. In addition to managing the division, he helped design an equity technology platform that automated and enhanced trading functions and significantly improved productivity. Mr. Polcari gained a reputation for superior management skills, client service and relationship building, as well as a savvy insight in risk mitigation.

Mr. Polcari has leveraged his superior communication and presentation skills and is a “CNBC Exclusive Contributor/Market Analyst”. You can find him giving market commentary from the floor of the NYSE across a range of their US programming including “The Half-Time Report”, “Power Lunch” and “Closing Bell” in addition to giving US market commentary to CNBC Asia and CNBC/Italy. In addition he is oft quoted in major print media outlets that include the WSJ, FT, Reuters and regional local and International publications.

He is an engaging public speaker that seeks to help the industry and the public understand current market structure and trends as well as institutional investment styles.  Topics include the Evolution of the U.S. Equity Markets & the Role of Technology, Rules And Regulations, Policy Initiatives as well as

The Impact of 9/11 on the U.S. Financial Markets.

Mr. Polcari received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, with a major in Finance, from Boston University. He holds FINRA Licenses in Series 7, 24, 27, 55, and 63.

Active in the financial community, he is as a member of the Security Traders Association (STA) and has served on its Trading Rules Committee. In addition he is a board member of the National Organization of Investment Professionals (NOIP), the Security Traders Association of NY (STANY) and the National Security Traders Association. Leadership roles include past president of the Independent Floor Brokers, former governor of the NYSE, former member of the Market Performance Committee, the Technology Committee, and the FACTS Program. He is also a supporter of a variety of charitable causes including the Members Handicapped Children’s Fund, The Headstrong Project, the Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma Society, American Cancer Society, and The Spaulding Traumatic Brain Injury Rehabilitation Hospital. He lives in Westchester County, NY with his wife – also a former member of the NYSE – and is the father of two daughters.

Mr. Kenny Polcari is a member and Director of NYSE Floor Operations on behalf of O’Neil Securities, Inc. representing the interests of institutional asset managers needing access to global equity markets. In addition to his role as an Adjunct Professor at the Boston Graduate School he is also a Markets Expert at Integral Board Group, LLC. His decades long experience in the equity markets and his position on the floor of the exchange gives him and his clients a unique view of the daily market action.  Mr. Polcari is a veteran equities trader, a CNBC exclusive contributor / market commentator appearing across a range of CNBC Global programming, an engaging speaker and champion of the U.S. capital markets and can be found working with the financial media, industry conferences and investor events helping public audiences understand the markets.  In addition to CNBC – media highlights have included Bloomberg, CNN (domestic and international), ABC, Fox, Reuters, AP, BBC, WSJ, Financial Times, Yahoo Finance.  Additional international credits include Der Spiegal, China Business and RAI.  He is well known for his daily boots-on-the-ground market analysis.  Every morning, Mr. Polcari publishes a large-audience newsletter starting with insights on the day’s market action and ends with a recipe to serve the mood of the markets.  Earlier in his career, he served as Managing Director at ICAP Corps, LLC and was Senior Vice President, member New York Stock Exchange and division manager with Salomon Brothers directing their NYSE Division.  Mr. Polcari graduated from Boston University School of Management with a BS/BA degree with a concentration in Finance.  He is a frequent lecturer on topics such as the Evolution of the U.S. Equity Markets & the Role of Technology, Rules And Regulations, Policy Initiatives as well as The Impact of 9/11 on the U.S. Financial Markets.

KARL DENNINGER

Karl Denninger is an American technology businessman, finance blogger, and political activist, sometimes referred to as a founding member of the Tea Party movement.

Denninger was the founder and CEO of MCSNet in Chicago. Opened as Macro Computer Solutions, Incorporated in 1987, it expanded its service offerings in 1993 to become one of the area’s first commercial internet service providers. Among its customers was the Chicago Public Library, which relied on MCSNet for both internet access and web hosting. In 1997 he led a coalition of ISPs in setting up the Enhanced Domain Name System, a short-lived alternative DNS root which allowed registrants to add their own generic top-level domains. Denninger continued to run MCSNet until August 1998, when he sold it to Winstar Communications for an undisclosed amount. For his efforts, the Chicago Sun-Times dubbed him one of “the movers and shakers who brought Chicago into the Internet Age”. After the sale of MCSNet, he moved to Florida, where he began to devote more time to stock trading and political activism.

JOHN NEAL

John Neal directs PTI Securities’ Glendale, Arizona office serving the firm’s clients in the Phoenix metro area and across the Western U.S. He oversees day-to-day operations, including client services, investor education, staff management and marketing. John has more than 12 years of management experience in the securities and financial services industry. He joined PTI Securities in 2003 in this role. Prior to that time, he was a branch manager with Phoenix area firms, Granite Capital Management and, most recently, Independent Financial Management. A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, John earned a bachelor’s degree in international management from Arizona State University in Tempe. Away from work, John enjoys reading, live music and outdoor activities. He also volunteers with the St. Vincent De Paul Society and the Lupus Foundation of America. Married with two children, John and his family live in Peoria, Arizona.

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