Despite that, Frankfurt's equivalent to the World Trade Center, the Messeturm building, was open only to be evacuated early on Wednesday after police received a bomb alert.

CNN: Attacks spark global red alert

Dean Curnutt at Macro Risk Advisors figures that in early March the Credit Suisse fund had to trade the equivalent of 3, 300 VIX futures contracts daily, or about 4% of the entire day's volume.

WSJ: Chaos Over a Plunging Note

Open Harbor, in San Carlos, California, wants to be global trade's equivalent of a radar detector, replacing with a fast Web service the practice of thumbing through thick tomes of trade rules and restrictions.

FORBES: Customs Solution

For instance, Pope notes only 14% was shaved off Portuguese bonds in the testing process even though two-year notes from Portugal have widened to trade at a spread of 242 basis points over the German equivalent security compared to 226 basis points last Friday, a 7% gain in the spread in just a week.

FORBES: Very Little Reality In European Bank Tests

There would certainly be no equivalent market in the U.S., though the Merc and Board of Trade could argue that there are plenty of alternatives to using them for traders.

FORBES: The $25 Billion Gorilla

There is the equivalent of a technological arms race as modern fund managers vie to find the best computer models and to trade quickly before their competitors spot the same opportunities.

ECONOMIST: Investment management