Marc Rich, the infamous godfather of the modern commodity trading industry, thought he could squeeze the global metals market at will. It was a time of swashbuckling trading in the City of London — regulation was lax and traders did as they saw fit. In 1992, he targeted the zinc market, amassing a huge position on the London Metal Exchange. His bet, however, failed, with prices plunging 25% in a month. The debacle cost him more than $170 million and, ultimately, control of his company, which was later renamed as Glencore Plc.