I really appreciate your response. >Idealist me thinks that Wall Street should invest in those companies they believe in and wish to assist in achieving their

I really appreciate your response. >Idealist me thinks that Wall Street should invest in those companies they believe in and wish to assist in achieving their business goals. It seems that the general trend is against banks taking proprietary positions. I guess my knee-jerk response is that I agree with that trend as I don't want my deposits used to fund someone's investment thesis. If I did, I would put my money in a mutual fund or other investment vehicle rather than a bank. At the same time, it's certainly not against the law for banks to make longer term investments. >but who is okay with a computer crashing a market becasue it was profitable I am certainly no fan of banks, but this does not seem like an accurate representation of their role in the markets.