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Madoff's Non-Trading Strategy and the Noels' Sad Christmas Tale

Posted Dec 23, 2008 02:02pm EST by Aaron Task in Investing, Newsmakers, Banking
Each day brings more eye-opening revelations in the Bernie Madoff scandal. Here's a rundown of the latest:
  • Madoff actually made very few trades in recent years and presumably kept most of the fund's assets in Treasuries, the WSJ reports. (This explains why no one could replicate the purported success of Madoff's split-strike conversion options strategy.)
  • Lawsuits are starting to pile up against not just Madoff, but against the SEC, too, after Chairman Christopher Cox's (not so) stunning admission last week about the agency's "apparent multiple failures" in failing to investigate numerous red flags at Madoff's firm.
  • Fairfield Greenwich Capital, the fund of funds that received $500 million in fees over the past five years for putting clients' money (some $7.3 billion) in Madoff is also facing lawsuits.

The Noel family that runs Fairfield Greenwich is also suffering a publicity disaster, partially as a result of family matriarch Monica Noel inexplicably complaining to the New York Post about the rag describing the family's daughters as having been "brought up in the lap of luxury."

In some ways, the bad PR may be worse for the Noels than the financial hit they're suffering and they may (gasp) have to cancel their annual Christmas party at their 18,000-square-foot-villa in Mustique, a private island in the West Indies.

Still, you'll have a very hard time finding anyone who's feeling bad for them.

79 Comments

Johnny Ike
Johnny Ike - Tuesday December 23, 2008 02:15PM EST

Whatever they did........It is not my business....Please return all what you stolen....It is only $ 50 Billion Dollar.........I hope those guilty of negledience will be punished.......Either member of SEC.........Goof if all of them will received prison sentence........They and he Destroy many families, Investor and Banks too.....

you
Yahoo! Finance User - Tuesday December 23, 2008 02:20PM EST

This is not a new story...in today world. If you're going to throw something----better a shoe than a grenade or a bomb.....Merry Christmas!

you
Alan F - Tuesday December 23, 2008 02:23PM EST

It's nice to see that us "little people" aren't the only ones getting screwed by Wall Street

northstormmen
northstormmen - Tuesday December 23, 2008 02:30PM EST

Fees.....you want fees........they should be called hush money, kickbacks, mafia style payoffs and bribes.......WERE DID ALL THE MONEY GO!!!!! DAMIT!!!!!.........the formerly rich will complain.......but in fact were they not a little bit lazy in managing their own money? A little bit overawed......a little bet greedy and a little bit stupid. Anyone entrusted with personel wealth via good fortune or birth or even hard work.....or craft and invention.......needs to learn as much as possible to try and manage in secure way on their own even hundreds of millions of dollars and not just 2 or 3 million which it seems to me would be easy......to a investment class through university extension and read the Journal daily.......

Johnny Ike
Johnny Ike - Tuesday December 23, 2008 02:30PM EST

It is a case of Lazy department of SEC and the Powerful Infliencial Man Bernie Madoff........Both Madoff and The SEC has the same sex.......

you
Yahoo! Finance User - Tuesday December 23, 2008 02:31PM EST

Reuters French manager, possible Madoff victim, dead in NY Tuesday December 23, 1:20 pm ET Why didn't he kill Madoff first?????????

Yahoo! Finance User
Yahoo! Finance User - Tuesday December 23, 2008 02:37PM EST

johnny ike speaks great english. I like kosher pickles not the hedgefunds.

you
jeffrey - Tuesday December 23, 2008 02:40PM EST

The entire Board of DIrectors of Yeshiva University and other charitable organizations should be immediately fired and charged by the New York Attorney General with criminal negligence and criminal breach of fiduciary duty for investing $110 million with their Board Member Bernie Madoff. This is a total conflict of interest. Look how far they went to please Schmoozer Bernie Madoff and Ezra Merkin...in this world of Schmoozers, nobody ever has the guts to just say no, they'll bet the farm just to avoid miffing a fellow Schmoozer.

you
bobbyluke2 - Tuesday December 23, 2008 02:41PM EST

WAITING FOR THE RECEIVER TO LIQUIDATE WHAT IS LEFT. LOOKING FOR A BIG MARKET SWING UNTIL WSJ REPORTED MOST OF ASSETS IN US TREASURIES. LOOKS LIKE MADOFF MADE OFF WITH A LOT OF MONEY

you
charles.torre - Tuesday December 23, 2008 02:44PM EST

Not feeling bad.

you
Mark E - Tuesday December 23, 2008 02:46PM EST

If Obama was smart the first thing he should do is make ALL the people accountable for the money meltdown. That means all congressional idiots that eased the mortgage access and all of the greedy bastards that sold bundled mortgages and the crooked apparisers and the mortgage companies that sold these mortgages. By putting them in jail and making them poor you would set a good example for any future greedy bastards. Clean house with ALL incumbment greedy politicians for they all have there own agendas. This is clearly not a government by the people and for the people. Americand had better wake up soon for our government is going to totally destroy our country.

you
Whit Chambers - Tuesday December 23, 2008 02:50PM EST

Buyer beware. How can a government agency, however inept and anything but trustworthy, be found accountable for someone who gambles in the market or gambles with a con man? Caveat emptor.

you
Yahoo! Finance User - Tuesday December 23, 2008 02:51PM EST

Suing the SEC, right...........leave me alone Gov't, free markets, free enterprise......oh no, I just got screwed, save me Gov't, bail me out. It's all insanity!

you
Yahoo! Finance User - Tuesday December 23, 2008 02:52PM EST

Why did not the french knuckle head pop Madoff first. It could be a Oswald- Ruby rerun. And Madoff is laughing all the way to his 7M condo where he has to stay between 7pm and 6am . Kinda like my hours........

you
Yahoo! Finance User - Tuesday December 23, 2008 02:53PM EST

I bet Madoff will get fined $100K and serve 3 years for stealing $50B, while a bank robber will get 30 years for stealing $3K. Who says justice is unfair in the U.S.??

Mike W
Mike W - Tuesday December 23, 2008 02:57PM EST

Wonder what the new prisons for the ultra wealthy will be like-----maybe some big mansion in west indies??

you
Arthur O - Tuesday December 23, 2008 03:00PM EST

The Ivy League geniuses that got us into this mess are like rats jumping off a sinking ship.

you
Yahoo! Finance User - Tuesday December 23, 2008 03:00PM EST

We have learned to love the darkness of sorrow, for it is there we see the brightness of God's face....

you
Yahoo! Finance User - Tuesday December 23, 2008 03:05PM EST

It seems like all types of bussiness are waiting for a handout NOW! they need to realized that this reccesion is on everybody. It seems like Mr. Cox was sleep at the wheel-----SEC---or trying too---

you
lwbdlnd - Tuesday December 23, 2008 03:11PM EST

What I cant figure out to save my life is why this ass$#$$ is still out walking the streets with an ankle bracelet? Why isn't this prick in jail already, had it been you or I who was "accused" of stealing $50 Billion I guarantee we'd be sitting in a cell waiting to defend ourselves. How many lives does one have to destroy to actually be punished? Kinda how Wallstreet works tho I guess...no different from the banks that lost billions of $ due to corruption, while paying out huge bonuses and none of those pricks are going to jail either.

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