PatColo
2nd August 2013, 05:10 AM
Big Banks Manipulated Energy Markets In California and the Midwest … Ripping Off Tens of Millions of Dollars in 9 Months (http://www.globalresearch.ca/big-banks-manipulated-energy-markets-in-california-and-the-midwest-ripping-off-tens-of-millions-of-dollars-in-9-months/5344388) By Washington's Blog (http://www.globalresearch.ca/author/washington-s-blog)
Global Research, July 30, 2013
Washington's Blog (http://www.washingtonsblog.com) 29 July 2013
Theme: Global Economy (http://www.globalresearch.ca/theme/global-economy), Oil and Energy (http://www.globalresearch.ca/theme/oil-and-energy)
http://www.globalresearch.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/wall-st-400x299.jpg
Energy Markets Are Manipulated
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission says that JP Morgan has massively manipulated energy markets in California and the Midwest (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-29/jpmorgan-accused-of-energy-market-manipulation-by-u-s-agency.html), obtaining tens of millions of dollars in overpayments from grid operators between September 2010 and June 2011.
As shown below, big banks have manipulated virtually every other market as well – both in the financial sector and the real economy (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/07/giant-banks-take-over-real-economy-as-well-as-financial-system-enabling-manipulation-on-a-vast-scale.html) – and broken virtually every law on the books (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/08/big-banks-worse-than-you-think.html).
Commodities Are Manipulated
The big banks and government agencies have been conspiring to manipulate commodities prices for decades (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/06/the-big-banks-and-commodities-future-trading-commission-conspired-to-hide-speculation-from-congress.html).
The big banks are taking over important aspects of the physical economy, including uranium mining, petroleum products, aluminum, ownership and operation of airports, toll roads, ports, and electricity (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/07/giant-banks-take-over-real-economy-as-well-as-financial-system-enabling-manipulation-on-a-vast-scale.html).
And they are using these physical assets to massively manipulate commodities prices … scalping consumers of many billions of dollars each year (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/07/big-banks-busted-manipulating-aluminum-and-copper-prices.html).
Interest Rates Are Manipulated
Interest rates are rigged:
The big banks have conspired for years to rig interest rates … upon which $800 trillion in assets are pegged (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/07/big-banks-criminally-conspire-to-rig-800-trillion-dollar-market.html)
This was the largest insider trading scandal ever (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/07/libor-the-largest-insider-trading-scandal-ever.html) … and the largest financial scam in world history (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/07/the-biggest-banking-scam-in-world-history.html)
Local governments got ripped off bigtime (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/07/the-big-losers-in-the-libor-rate-manipulation.html) by the Libor manipulation
Libor is still being manipulated (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21523989)
Derivatives Are Manipulated
The big banks have long manipulated derivatives (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/08/a-cartel-of-big-banks-is-harming-the-world-economy-by-manipulating-derivatives.html) … a $1,200 Trillion Dollar market (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/05/top-derivatives-expert-finally-gives-a-credible-estimate-of-the-size-of-the-global-derivatives-market.html).
Indeed, many trillions of dollars of derivatives are being manipulated in the exact same same way (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-10/icap-brokers-on-treasure-island-said-to-reap-isdafix-rewards.html)that interest rates are fixed: through gamed self-reporting (http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-04-18/meet-isdafix-the-libor-scandals-sequel).
Currency Markets Are Rigged
Currency markets are massively rigged (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/06/every-market-is-rigged.html).
Gold and Silver Are Manipulated
The Guardian and Telegraph report that gold and silver prices are “fixed” in the same way as interest rates and derivatives – in daily conference calls by the powers-that-be (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/03/gold-and-silver-prices-are-set-with-libor-like-daily-conference-call-with-a-handful-of-big-banks.html).
Oil Prices Are Manipulated
Oil prices are manipulated as well (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/05/is-every-market-rigged.html).
Everything Can Be Manipulated through High-Frequency Trading
Traders with high-tech computers can manipulate stocks (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/04/84-of-all-stock-trades-are-by-high-frequency-computers-only-16-are-done-by-humans.html), bonds, options, currencies and commodities (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/07/libor-is-not-the-only-manipulated-economic-indicator.html). And see this (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2009/07/goldman-sachs-admits-its-software-can-manipulate-markets-in-unfair-ways%E2%80%9D.html).
Manipulating Numerous Markets In Myriad Ways
The big banks and other giants manipulate numerous markets in myriad ways (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/07/big-banks-are-criminal-enterprises.html), for example:
Engaging in mafia-style big-rigging fraud against local governments. See this (http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-scam-wall-street-learned-from-the-mafia-20120620), this (http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/blogs/taibblog/notes-on-wall-streets-bid-rigging-scandal-20120622) and this (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-11-14/governments-using-swaps-emulate-subprime-victims-of-wall-street.html)
Shaving money off of virtually every pension transaction they handled over the course of decades, stealing collectively billions of dollars from pensions worldwide. Details here (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/28/bny-mellon-case_n_1172575.html), here (http://www.nydailynews.com/money/2009/02/21/2009-02-21_bank_of_new_york_mellon_scored_3b_bailou.html), here (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/05/business/new-york-state-says-bank-of-new-york-mellon-cheated-pension-funds.html), here (http://kingworldnews.com/kingworldnews/KWN_DailyWeb/Entries/2011/10/6_Madoff_Whistleblower_Tells_KWN_Banks_Stealing_Fr om_Pensions.html), here (http://articles.businessinsider.com/2011-10-07/wall_street/30253397_1_trial-dates-bny-mellon-bank),here (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703652104576122220220538048.html), here (http://blogs.reuters.com/financial-regulatory-forum/2011/02/04/analysis-madoff-whistleblower-tries-new-shield-tactic-in-bank-fraud-suits/), here (http://www.cjr.org/the_audit/wsj_on_harry_markopolos_whistl.php), here (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703960804576120544029594566.html?m od=ITP_pageone_0#articleTabs%3Darticle), here (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-05-12/sec-probes-state-street-foreign-exchange-pricing.html), here (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/21/business/21street.html) and here
Charging “storage fees” to store gold bullion … without even buying or storing any gold (http://uk.reuters.com/article/2007/06/12/morganstanley-suit-idUKN1228014520070612). And raiding allocated gold accounts (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/07/beware-allocated-gold-may-not-really-be-there.html)
Committing massive and pervasive fraud both when they initiated mortgage loans and when they foreclosed on them (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2010/10/at-the-root-of-the-crisis-we-find-the-largest-financial-swindle-in-world-history-where-counterfeit-mortgages-were-laundered-by-the-banks.html) (and see this (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2011/12/the-fbi-estimates-that-80-percent-of-all-mortgage-fraud-involves-collaboration-or-collusion-by-industry-insiders.html))
Pledging the same mortgage multiple times to different buyers. See this (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2010/10/professors-black-and-wray-confirm-that.html), this (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2010/10/mortgages-were-fraudulently-pledged-to-multiple-buyers-at-the-same-time.html), this (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2010/10/was-abacus-the-business-model-for-the-entire-mortgage-industry.html), this (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2010/10/the-fraud-perpetrated-upon-investors-and-insurers-due-to-multiple-pledges-of-collateral-could-be-massive.html) and this (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2010/10/how-did-the-banks-get-away-with-pledging-mortgages-to-multiple-buyers.html). This would be like selling your car, and collecting money from 10 different buyers for the same car
Cheating homeowners (http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/08/bank-of-america-whistleblower-idUSL2E8E804820120308) by gaming laws meant to protect people from unfair foreclosure
Pushing investments which they knew were terrible, and then betting against the same investments to make money for themselves. See this (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2011/07/goldman-bet-against-entire-european-nations-who-were-clients-the-same-way-it-bet-against-its-subprime-mortgage-clients.html), this (http://www.zerohedge.com/article/jp-morgan-sold-investors-mbs-covered-sack-shit-loans-goldman-aig-redux), this (http://www.teribuhl.com/2012/05/12/sec-tells-jp-morgan-enforcement-action-coming-over-bears-mortgage-backed-securities-violations/), this (http://www.sec.gov/news/press/2010/2010-123.htm) and this (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2011/08/bank-of-america-down-20-today-after-being-sued-by-aig-for-massive-fraud-goldman-jp-morgan-and-deutsche-are-next.html)
Engaging in unlawful “frontrunning (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Front_running)” to manipulate markets. See this (http://www.dailyfinance.com/2009/09/17/exclusive-nobel-winner-joseph-stiglitz-predicts-recessions-end/), this (http://www.zerohedge.com/article/whoa-glitch-hft), this (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2009/07/corporate-media-spotlights-distortion-of-market-by-high-frequency-trading.html), this (http://www.zerohedge.com/taxonomy_vtn/term/8356), this (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2009/07/what-is-high-frequency-trading-and-how.html) and this (http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=18809)
Engaging in unlawful “Wash Trades” to manipulate asset prices. See this (http://news.yahoo.com/jpmorgan-fined-wash-trades-oil-gasoline-151048338--sector.html), this (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-04-02/rbc-sued-by-u-s-regulators-over-wash-trades-seeking-tax-benefit.html) and this (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-06-22/wash-trading-by-high-frequency-firms-said-to-face-u-s-scrutiny.html)
Otherwise (http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/07/03/jpmorgan-role-in-power-market-comes-under-scrutiny/) manipulating markets. And see this (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2010/05/will-silver-and-gold-prices-rise-now-that-the-feds-are-launching-criminal-and-civil-investigations-into-manipulation-of-the-silver-market.html)
Participating in various Ponzi schemes. See this (http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/02/15/in-prison-madoff-says-banks-had-to-know-of-fraud/), this (http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20120417-716851.html) and this (http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/02/28/2665114/55-victims-of-ponzi-schemer-rothstein.html)
Charging veterans unlawful mortgage fees (http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Banks-allegedly-charged-vets-illegal-mortgage-fees-2328659.php)
Cooking their books (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304830104575172280848939898.html?m od=WSJ_Markets_MIDDLETopNews) (and see this (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2010/03/lehman-fraudulently-cooked-its-books-accounting-giant-ernst-young-helped-geithner-and-bernanke-winked-and-slapped-them-on-the-back.html))
Bribing (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2009/09/credit-rating-agencies-took-bribes-for-higher-ratings.html) and bullying (http://www.zerohedge.com/news/unsealed-documents-expose-morgan-stanley-forcing-rating-agencies-inflate-ratings) ratings agencies to inflate ratings on their risky investments
The Big Picture
The big picture is simple:
The big banks manipulate every market they touch
Too much interconnectedness leads to financial instability (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2009/09/derivatives-are-inherently-destabilizing-for-the-financial-system-because-they-increase-interconnectivity.html)
The government has given the banks huge subsidies (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/03/top-banking-analyst-subsidies-to-giant-banks-exceed-780-billion-year.html) … which they are using for speculation (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2011/04/mcdonalds-and-wal-mart-warn-of-inflation-because-big-banks-use-trillions-of-taxpayer-money-as-gambling-chips-for-speculative-commodities-plays.html) and other things (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2009/03/bailout-money-instead-of-being-used-to-stabilize-the-economy-or-even-the-bailed-out-companies-is-just-going-to-line-the-pockets-of-the-wealthy.html) which don’t help the economy. In other words, propping up the big banks by throwing money at them doesn’t help the economy
Top economists, financial experts and bankers say (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/03/bernanke-too-big-to-fail-was-a-major-source-of-the-crisis-and-we-will-not-have-successfully-responded-to-the-crisis-if-we-do-not-address-that-successfully.html) that the big banks are too large … and their very size is threatening the economy. They say we need to break up the big banks (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/07/11869.html) to stabilize the economy
The big banks own the D.C. politicians (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2011/06/well-theres-your-problem-right-there-insider-trading-rules-don%E2%80%99t-apply-to-congress.html) … so Congress and the White House won’t do anything unless the people force change
http://www.globalresearch.ca/big-banks-manipulated-energy-markets-in-california-and-the-midwest-ripping-off-tens-of-millions-of-dollars-in-9-months/5344388
http://www.officialnewworldorder.com/Jewish_Bankers_NNWO_banr_1.jpg (http://grizzom.blogspot.com/2013/08/big-banks-manipulated-energy-markets-in.html)
Global Research, July 30, 2013
Washington's Blog (http://www.washingtonsblog.com) 29 July 2013
Theme: Global Economy (http://www.globalresearch.ca/theme/global-economy), Oil and Energy (http://www.globalresearch.ca/theme/oil-and-energy)
http://www.globalresearch.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/wall-st-400x299.jpg
Energy Markets Are Manipulated
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission says that JP Morgan has massively manipulated energy markets in California and the Midwest (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-29/jpmorgan-accused-of-energy-market-manipulation-by-u-s-agency.html), obtaining tens of millions of dollars in overpayments from grid operators between September 2010 and June 2011.
As shown below, big banks have manipulated virtually every other market as well – both in the financial sector and the real economy (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/07/giant-banks-take-over-real-economy-as-well-as-financial-system-enabling-manipulation-on-a-vast-scale.html) – and broken virtually every law on the books (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/08/big-banks-worse-than-you-think.html).
Commodities Are Manipulated
The big banks and government agencies have been conspiring to manipulate commodities prices for decades (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/06/the-big-banks-and-commodities-future-trading-commission-conspired-to-hide-speculation-from-congress.html).
The big banks are taking over important aspects of the physical economy, including uranium mining, petroleum products, aluminum, ownership and operation of airports, toll roads, ports, and electricity (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/07/giant-banks-take-over-real-economy-as-well-as-financial-system-enabling-manipulation-on-a-vast-scale.html).
And they are using these physical assets to massively manipulate commodities prices … scalping consumers of many billions of dollars each year (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/07/big-banks-busted-manipulating-aluminum-and-copper-prices.html).
Interest Rates Are Manipulated
Interest rates are rigged:
The big banks have conspired for years to rig interest rates … upon which $800 trillion in assets are pegged (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/07/big-banks-criminally-conspire-to-rig-800-trillion-dollar-market.html)
This was the largest insider trading scandal ever (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/07/libor-the-largest-insider-trading-scandal-ever.html) … and the largest financial scam in world history (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/07/the-biggest-banking-scam-in-world-history.html)
Local governments got ripped off bigtime (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/07/the-big-losers-in-the-libor-rate-manipulation.html) by the Libor manipulation
Libor is still being manipulated (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21523989)
Derivatives Are Manipulated
The big banks have long manipulated derivatives (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/08/a-cartel-of-big-banks-is-harming-the-world-economy-by-manipulating-derivatives.html) … a $1,200 Trillion Dollar market (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/05/top-derivatives-expert-finally-gives-a-credible-estimate-of-the-size-of-the-global-derivatives-market.html).
Indeed, many trillions of dollars of derivatives are being manipulated in the exact same same way (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-10/icap-brokers-on-treasure-island-said-to-reap-isdafix-rewards.html)that interest rates are fixed: through gamed self-reporting (http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-04-18/meet-isdafix-the-libor-scandals-sequel).
Currency Markets Are Rigged
Currency markets are massively rigged (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/06/every-market-is-rigged.html).
Gold and Silver Are Manipulated
The Guardian and Telegraph report that gold and silver prices are “fixed” in the same way as interest rates and derivatives – in daily conference calls by the powers-that-be (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/03/gold-and-silver-prices-are-set-with-libor-like-daily-conference-call-with-a-handful-of-big-banks.html).
Oil Prices Are Manipulated
Oil prices are manipulated as well (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/05/is-every-market-rigged.html).
Everything Can Be Manipulated through High-Frequency Trading
Traders with high-tech computers can manipulate stocks (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/04/84-of-all-stock-trades-are-by-high-frequency-computers-only-16-are-done-by-humans.html), bonds, options, currencies and commodities (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/07/libor-is-not-the-only-manipulated-economic-indicator.html). And see this (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2009/07/goldman-sachs-admits-its-software-can-manipulate-markets-in-unfair-ways%E2%80%9D.html).
Manipulating Numerous Markets In Myriad Ways
The big banks and other giants manipulate numerous markets in myriad ways (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/07/big-banks-are-criminal-enterprises.html), for example:
Engaging in mafia-style big-rigging fraud against local governments. See this (http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-scam-wall-street-learned-from-the-mafia-20120620), this (http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/blogs/taibblog/notes-on-wall-streets-bid-rigging-scandal-20120622) and this (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-11-14/governments-using-swaps-emulate-subprime-victims-of-wall-street.html)
Shaving money off of virtually every pension transaction they handled over the course of decades, stealing collectively billions of dollars from pensions worldwide. Details here (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/28/bny-mellon-case_n_1172575.html), here (http://www.nydailynews.com/money/2009/02/21/2009-02-21_bank_of_new_york_mellon_scored_3b_bailou.html), here (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/05/business/new-york-state-says-bank-of-new-york-mellon-cheated-pension-funds.html), here (http://kingworldnews.com/kingworldnews/KWN_DailyWeb/Entries/2011/10/6_Madoff_Whistleblower_Tells_KWN_Banks_Stealing_Fr om_Pensions.html), here (http://articles.businessinsider.com/2011-10-07/wall_street/30253397_1_trial-dates-bny-mellon-bank),here (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703652104576122220220538048.html), here (http://blogs.reuters.com/financial-regulatory-forum/2011/02/04/analysis-madoff-whistleblower-tries-new-shield-tactic-in-bank-fraud-suits/), here (http://www.cjr.org/the_audit/wsj_on_harry_markopolos_whistl.php), here (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703960804576120544029594566.html?m od=ITP_pageone_0#articleTabs%3Darticle), here (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-05-12/sec-probes-state-street-foreign-exchange-pricing.html), here (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/21/business/21street.html) and here
Charging “storage fees” to store gold bullion … without even buying or storing any gold (http://uk.reuters.com/article/2007/06/12/morganstanley-suit-idUKN1228014520070612). And raiding allocated gold accounts (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/07/beware-allocated-gold-may-not-really-be-there.html)
Committing massive and pervasive fraud both when they initiated mortgage loans and when they foreclosed on them (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2010/10/at-the-root-of-the-crisis-we-find-the-largest-financial-swindle-in-world-history-where-counterfeit-mortgages-were-laundered-by-the-banks.html) (and see this (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2011/12/the-fbi-estimates-that-80-percent-of-all-mortgage-fraud-involves-collaboration-or-collusion-by-industry-insiders.html))
Pledging the same mortgage multiple times to different buyers. See this (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2010/10/professors-black-and-wray-confirm-that.html), this (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2010/10/mortgages-were-fraudulently-pledged-to-multiple-buyers-at-the-same-time.html), this (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2010/10/was-abacus-the-business-model-for-the-entire-mortgage-industry.html), this (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2010/10/the-fraud-perpetrated-upon-investors-and-insurers-due-to-multiple-pledges-of-collateral-could-be-massive.html) and this (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2010/10/how-did-the-banks-get-away-with-pledging-mortgages-to-multiple-buyers.html). This would be like selling your car, and collecting money from 10 different buyers for the same car
Cheating homeowners (http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/08/bank-of-america-whistleblower-idUSL2E8E804820120308) by gaming laws meant to protect people from unfair foreclosure
Pushing investments which they knew were terrible, and then betting against the same investments to make money for themselves. See this (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2011/07/goldman-bet-against-entire-european-nations-who-were-clients-the-same-way-it-bet-against-its-subprime-mortgage-clients.html), this (http://www.zerohedge.com/article/jp-morgan-sold-investors-mbs-covered-sack-shit-loans-goldman-aig-redux), this (http://www.teribuhl.com/2012/05/12/sec-tells-jp-morgan-enforcement-action-coming-over-bears-mortgage-backed-securities-violations/), this (http://www.sec.gov/news/press/2010/2010-123.htm) and this (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2011/08/bank-of-america-down-20-today-after-being-sued-by-aig-for-massive-fraud-goldman-jp-morgan-and-deutsche-are-next.html)
Engaging in unlawful “frontrunning (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Front_running)” to manipulate markets. See this (http://www.dailyfinance.com/2009/09/17/exclusive-nobel-winner-joseph-stiglitz-predicts-recessions-end/), this (http://www.zerohedge.com/article/whoa-glitch-hft), this (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2009/07/corporate-media-spotlights-distortion-of-market-by-high-frequency-trading.html), this (http://www.zerohedge.com/taxonomy_vtn/term/8356), this (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2009/07/what-is-high-frequency-trading-and-how.html) and this (http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=18809)
Engaging in unlawful “Wash Trades” to manipulate asset prices. See this (http://news.yahoo.com/jpmorgan-fined-wash-trades-oil-gasoline-151048338--sector.html), this (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-04-02/rbc-sued-by-u-s-regulators-over-wash-trades-seeking-tax-benefit.html) and this (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-06-22/wash-trading-by-high-frequency-firms-said-to-face-u-s-scrutiny.html)
Otherwise (http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/07/03/jpmorgan-role-in-power-market-comes-under-scrutiny/) manipulating markets. And see this (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2010/05/will-silver-and-gold-prices-rise-now-that-the-feds-are-launching-criminal-and-civil-investigations-into-manipulation-of-the-silver-market.html)
Participating in various Ponzi schemes. See this (http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/02/15/in-prison-madoff-says-banks-had-to-know-of-fraud/), this (http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20120417-716851.html) and this (http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/02/28/2665114/55-victims-of-ponzi-schemer-rothstein.html)
Charging veterans unlawful mortgage fees (http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Banks-allegedly-charged-vets-illegal-mortgage-fees-2328659.php)
Cooking their books (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304830104575172280848939898.html?m od=WSJ_Markets_MIDDLETopNews) (and see this (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2010/03/lehman-fraudulently-cooked-its-books-accounting-giant-ernst-young-helped-geithner-and-bernanke-winked-and-slapped-them-on-the-back.html))
Bribing (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2009/09/credit-rating-agencies-took-bribes-for-higher-ratings.html) and bullying (http://www.zerohedge.com/news/unsealed-documents-expose-morgan-stanley-forcing-rating-agencies-inflate-ratings) ratings agencies to inflate ratings on their risky investments
The Big Picture
The big picture is simple:
The big banks manipulate every market they touch
Too much interconnectedness leads to financial instability (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2009/09/derivatives-are-inherently-destabilizing-for-the-financial-system-because-they-increase-interconnectivity.html)
The government has given the banks huge subsidies (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/03/top-banking-analyst-subsidies-to-giant-banks-exceed-780-billion-year.html) … which they are using for speculation (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2011/04/mcdonalds-and-wal-mart-warn-of-inflation-because-big-banks-use-trillions-of-taxpayer-money-as-gambling-chips-for-speculative-commodities-plays.html) and other things (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2009/03/bailout-money-instead-of-being-used-to-stabilize-the-economy-or-even-the-bailed-out-companies-is-just-going-to-line-the-pockets-of-the-wealthy.html) which don’t help the economy. In other words, propping up the big banks by throwing money at them doesn’t help the economy
Top economists, financial experts and bankers say (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/03/bernanke-too-big-to-fail-was-a-major-source-of-the-crisis-and-we-will-not-have-successfully-responded-to-the-crisis-if-we-do-not-address-that-successfully.html) that the big banks are too large … and their very size is threatening the economy. They say we need to break up the big banks (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/07/11869.html) to stabilize the economy
The big banks own the D.C. politicians (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2011/06/well-theres-your-problem-right-there-insider-trading-rules-don%E2%80%99t-apply-to-congress.html) … so Congress and the White House won’t do anything unless the people force change
http://www.globalresearch.ca/big-banks-manipulated-energy-markets-in-california-and-the-midwest-ripping-off-tens-of-millions-of-dollars-in-9-months/5344388
http://www.officialnewworldorder.com/Jewish_Bankers_NNWO_banr_1.jpg (http://grizzom.blogspot.com/2013/08/big-banks-manipulated-energy-markets-in.html)