[Beagle8U]

Let them do all the futures trading they want, but make them trade with real cash and no margins!

[panthermom]

This has been 30 yrs in the making. WE HAVE TO DRILL HERE AND NOW!!! That is the only option.

[SAJ]

So, you would have a corn farmer, who wants to hedge his crop with futures in order to insure against a price drop before harvest, put up 100% of the crop's value while it's growing?

Where's he going to get the capital? He certainly doesn't have it lying around, so he'll need to go to the bank and borrow it (IF the bank will lend it to him).

And pay interest on the loan.

So, net-net, your genius solution: A) raises the farmer's cost in return for NO countervailing benefit to him, B) doesn't de-leverage ANYthing, just changes where the lever is, and C) very likely, when multiplied by a couple of million farmers, ends up raising interest rates for everyone else.

Any other bright ideas for us?

[mad_as_he$$]

Ditto!! Make them put up real money to trade.