Floor Rules: Insider Culture in Financial Markets

A compelling account of how markets really govern themselves, and why they often baffle and outrage outsiders

One of the reasons many people believe financial markets are lawless and irrational—and rigged—is that they follow two sets of rules. The official rules, set by law or by the heads of the exchanges, exist alongside the unofficial rules, or floor rules—which are the ones that actually govern. Break the official rules and you may be fined or jailed; break the floor rules and you’ll s...