Trading Places/Fridge
Fridge Horror
- As the Dukes discuss their wager, which means ruining Louis' life and raising Billy Ray to take his place, Randolph says "We've done it before. This time, it's in a good cause." So how many lives have they previously shattered For the Lulz before this?
- And what did they consider a bad cause?
- For that matter, while the Dukes have their fate coming, Winthorpe and Billy Ray also take advantage of other commodities traders, who notice the Dukes' plans and try to profit, too. How many others got bankrupted in their revenge on the Dukes?
- Provided that they followed sound investment practice (unlike the Dukes, who cheerfully went in over their heads because they thought they had a sure thing), none of them. Any commodities speculation carries an element of risk; professional traders would not be likely to sell short to the point that they'd clean themselves out if the market didn't perform as expected, especially if they're hip-shooting their reaction on the spot and chasing a trend instead of doing it as part of a well-researched plan.
- And if they did go bankrupt? To be blunt, its would be their own fault for gambling unwisely. If you don't want to accept the risk of losing your investment, then don't invest -- especially in something as volatile and fast-paced as short-selling commodities futures.
- In addition, the only part of Winthorpe and Ray's plan that was an "active measure" outside the normal market processes was targeted at and affected only the Dukes. Nobody else would have seen the faked crop report, and so would have based all of their investment decisions based on the same information they would have based it on if Winthorpe and Ray had never existed.
- Winthorpe and Ray are also engaged in insider trading because they are using their advance knowledge of the genuine crop report to set up their own play, but while that is unethical (if still legal under the laws of that time period) it's not actually going to bankrupt anyone else by itself.
- Provided that they followed sound investment practice (unlike the Dukes, who cheerfully went in over their heads because they thought they had a sure thing), none of them. Any commodities speculation carries an element of risk; professional traders would not be likely to sell short to the point that they'd clean themselves out if the market didn't perform as expected, especially if they're hip-shooting their reaction on the spot and chasing a trend instead of doing it as part of a well-researched plan.