Under the counter

Pathetic syntheticsDespite an outlook that I would choose to describe as "realistic", and contrary to the apparent belief of many of my readers, I am as pleased as anyone else in the business when an exchange perseveres with a new contract in the face of early indifference from the market. After all, if it wasn't for the doggedness of the early pioneers we wouldn't have a financial futures market at all, and without that I doubt my numerous bar bills would ever get paid. So I for one would like to applaud LME in the run up to what is now being billed as a "relaunch" of its plastics contract, especially the way the exchange now seems to have embraced the publishing industry as a means of getting its message across. Of course, LME's management know better than most that you...