Trading Places | Steve Henderly, CFA
Printer Friendly PDF: December 2025 Commentary
Happy Thanksgiving! Ready or not, another holiday season is upon us. ‘Tis the season for gathering with family and friends, eating too much food, and if your schedule permits, the consumption of a few classic Christmas movies. Trading Places (1983), a comedy starring Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd, may not be the first movie that comes to mind, but it is set during the Christmas season (and really funny, but not kid friendly!). Trading Places is a comedy built around a cruel social experiment conducted by the wealthy Duke brothers, who wagered they can swap the lives of two men to prove whether success is a product of nature or nurture. Louis Winthorpe III, a privileged, elitist commodities broker, is framed for crimes to destroy his life, while Billy Ray Valentine, a street hustler struggling to get by, is elevated into Winthorpe’s job, home, and social circle. As the two men adapt to their reversed circumstances, they eventually uncover the scheme, team up, and turn the tables on the Dukes by manipulating the commodity market; outsmarting the system that manipulated them and destroying the Duke brothers’ empire.