NYSE legendary trader dies aged 80

Sad to report.

Michael D. Robbins, who combined a gregarious nature with ironclad discretion to become a prominent floor trader at the New York Stock Exchange and champion of its history and traditions, has died. He was 80.

Bloomberg News reports he died on the evening of Sept. 13 at his home in Manhattan, said his daughter, Jil Robbins Pollock. 'He died at 7:18, which happened to be his number on the stock exchange floor,' she said. The cause was a brain tumor.

During 45 years as a member of the NYSE, Robbins was a walking encyclopedia of names and numbers and redefined the role of the independent floor broker.

He won the trust, and the business, of major clients such as Fidelity Management & Research Co., Putnam Investments Inc. and General Electric Investment Corp., which began turning to him, rather than Wall Street’s big-name firms, with trades they needed done efficiently and quietly.

Backed by his mutual-fund clientele, Robbins won election to three terms on the stock exchange’s governing board, from 1992 to 1998.

Robbins retired in 2007. Since 2011 he was a contributor to Bloomberg News, providing historical perspective on market and finance news.

Hit the link below to access the complete Bloomberg News article:

Michael D. Robbins, Trusted NYSE Trader for 45 Years, Dies at 80

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