Stock wizardry

The buying and selling of stock has come a long way since lower Manhattan hustlers hawked their wares on the curb of Beaver Street. At least then you were left in little doubt about market risks as you repaired to the smoky din of a coffee house to seal the deal over a tankard. Today stock markets aim to downplay risk by projecting one of two images: sleek, muscled technology or solemn, solid establishment. Under the latter, stock exchange publicity shots from Tokyo or Indonesia depict granite