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Yasuo Hamanaka Copper Scandal That Fooled Global Markets
Have you ever wondered how a single individual could single-handedly shake the foundations of international finance? Back in the 1990s, the global commodity markets learned this lesson the hard way during the historic Yasuo Hamanaka Copper Scandal. Meet Yasuo Hamanaka, the legendary chief copper trader for Japan’s Sumitomo Corporation, whose decade-long clandestine operation became one of the most astonishing rogue trading scandals in history. Known in trading circles as “Mr. Five Percent” because he essentially controlled five percent of the world’s entire copper supply, Hamanaka was revered as a genius. But behind the calm demeanor and trademark brown suits lay a massive web of unauthorized trades, forged documents, and hidden…


