She moved to New York City in the early 1970s, eventually finding work with Metal Traders, a commodities firm.

Mr. Ritchie owns a commodities firm in Chicago.

But commodities firms are still cutting, not hiring, and there have been no offers.

"The point is that the driving force behind the Manhattan office market in the 1980's has been the expansion of the securities and commodities firms," he said.

Laurie Wolkin, a pyschologist, and her husband, Hal, a vice president with a commodities firm, moved to Lewisboro in 1978.

He also held a seat on the American Stock Exchange and owned his own commodities firm.

Closely followed trading activity, available capital at big commodities firms.

In the future we may have to amend the directive to take into account the needs of commodities firms, if they are brought into the framework.

Her father retired as a deputy general manager of accounting at Mitsui & Company, a Japanese commodities firm in Manhattan.

The newspaper said the investigation had since expanded to look into possible illegal acts by individuals and collusion between individuals and commodities firms.