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<li><p>Yes, Chicago sends plenty of people to “Wall St.” (which doesn’t really exist anymore, but translate it as “New York Metropolitan Area professional investors and traders”).</p></li>
<li><p>The city of Chicago itself has a financial sector that is as sophisticated (sometimes more so) than New York’s. Chicago was the historical center of commodities trading and (importantly) options trading, and the whole world of derivative financial instruments basically emerged from Chicago. Chicago has aggressive and sophisticated hedge funds and private equity investors. I wouldn’t say that it is a bigger financial center than New York, but it’s a pretty clear #2.</p></li>
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