Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live At Daybreak

America's New War: Waiting on the Markets

Aired September 17, 2001 - 07:43   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's go back to Lou Dobbs right now for an update on what those workers might expect and what investors might expect later today -- hi again, Lou.

LOU DOBBS, "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE": Hi, Paula.

The floor of the New York exchange is already taking on a certain vibrancy. Typically there is a typical day on a trading floor like this, the world's financial capital, it wouldn't even have half a dozen people on it at just before eight o'clock in the morning. The posts here, the trading posts are surrounded by many employees already. What is being set up, I think, is a very special day.

These are a very tight knit group of people who've worked here in this building, these traders and these specialists. They're wearing on their arms American flags, some on their backs American flags, red, white and blue ribbons. These people, as I say, are friends. It's part of a club and a very tight network of professionals.

They feel deeply the sense of loss with thousands of people who have perished in the attack on the World Trade Center. You see these people who some days would be shaking hands with one another. This morning they are giving each other hugs. And they are expressing their hope for an orderly market and they're going to do their part.

Make no mistake about it, these people would much prefer that this be an entirely different order of openings, many of them because they really still are grieving for the loss in their community. But they're here because they believe it's their job and they believe it's the country's work that they're doing and, indeed, they're quite right about that.

ZAHN: Lou, what is the concern about any technical problems that might arise today in what is expected to be a crush of business?

DOBBS: I talked with the, with Dick Grasso, the chairman of the exchange, Bob Zito (ph), the executive vice president, a number of other officials here. They are absolutely confident that the Verizon and Con Ed have moved in to reestablish their connectivity, telephone lines, power lines, to restore water in this area. And as you point out, this is still an appropriate question because here we are just about an hour and a half, a little better than that, from the open and two blocks away National Guardsmen are moving into position, providing security. The New York City Police Department, ambulances and fire trucks are racing down these streets a block from here. We're three blocks from the epicenter of last Tuesday's terrible disaster.

So nonetheless, all of the work that has been done here over the last six days, they believe, will establish communications and restore the world's most important and by far its largest financial market to trading.

ZAHN: All right, Lou, thanks so much. We look forward to seeing you throughout the morning.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com