T-Shirt Company Pokes Fun at Finance Industry By Maggie Shea, HedgeWorld Staff Writer Thursday, June 22, 2006 10:40:49 AM ET STOWE, Vt. (HedgeWorld.com)âFor those who toil in the world of Wall Street and the financial markets, dead cat bounces are everyday occurrences and naked options are family-friendly products. For the uninitiated, the various catchphrases, cliches, and obtuse technical terms of the Street are bewildering and numerous enough to require entire dictionaries for understanding. Now a veteran of the trading floor has translated some of the best-known aphorisms and argot of the markets into a format familiar to anyoneâthe T-shirt. Chris Tagatac, a former broker with Morgan Stanley and Bear Stearns in New York, saw the potential for imagery and amusement in phrases such as "triple witching day" and "Goldilocks economy," and founded WallstT.com to offer a line of apparel adorned with illustrated definitions of market lingo. "[I spent] 15 years working as an institutional equity broker, and most of our clients were hedge funds," Mr. Tagatac said. "Every once in a while I would note a Wall Street phrase ⦠as an easy target with lots of ways to find something funny about it. And I always had ideas for T-shirts and tote bags." Mr. Tagatac launched WallstT.com in December 2005. He originates the ideas and designs for the T-shirts with a little help from a local Vermont artist. The shirts are primarily sold through a catalog offered at www.WallstT.com. WallstT.com's customers include bankers, analysts, institutional and retail brokers, hedge fund and mutual fund managers, traders and retail investors. "With the thoughts I'd be thinkin'...": The Scarecrow is a fitting choice to illustrate the meaning of The No Brainer. For Mr. Tagatac, who also is chief executive and president of Madcam Real Estate LLC and a partner in Camdex Partners, an energy trading company, and who is pursuing a writing career as well, working in the T-shirt business is a fun outlet in an often serious industry. "Don't take yourself too seriously on Wall Street," he said. "The markets go up and downâit's not the end of the world." Whether or not such a blithe view is universally held by those who still ride the markets for a living, Mr. Tagatac encourages people to send him ideas for new T-shirt designs; those with the best concepts can win a free shirt. He said he also plans to begin designing beach towels and tote bags, at the suggestion of some of his customers. "People like the ideas and images on the shirts," Mr. Tagatac said. "They want to see them on towels and beach tote bags. I might even think about putting these designs on ties." MShea@HedgeWorld.com It's a little kitschy, but funny.