What are you talking about! How the hell could you understand that proposal?
People you have a genius working for you! Take a look of what he understands

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[URL]http://tinyurl.com/2rfbrj[/URL]
It says- if I am reading it right, that Barclays got an exemption from the department of Labor back in August to use slush fund money of the TSP shareholders, and write covered calls with it.
Think about this: When they trade stocks, it actually takes three days under SEC rules to execute the payment after the trade.
For those three days, the money is tied up. In limbo. Can't be touched. At least, under the way all other funds work, it can't be touched.
But Barclays went out, and asked, back in August, for a waiver to that rule. They wanted to be able to use that money to write a "covered call". Basically, in theory, it would mean that the money could be gambled by the Barclays guys for those three days, and then Barclays would pay out the money they owed on the third day, and benefit from any money, that the "covered calls" could produce in that three day period.
It would essentially create a "slush fund" that Barclays could use.
The stated purpose, of course, would be to "reduce risk", i.e. hedge your bet in the direction opposite the way the market was going, and pick up a few bucks.
The problem is if you guess wrong, you loose up to all your money.
If that is what this federal register notice says, and I think it's what it says, then THAT would explain why now, when the market swings widly, Barclays could have bet wrong, and the money got swallowed up. So they tell the Thrift Board that it's those pesky day-traders who done it, and they fool everyone and walk away with the slush fund.
If THAT is what I am reading in this tinyURL, then they just got an exemption to the regular rules, and we are all hosed. Once again.
I COULD be wrong, but that is what I think I see written in here.
Here is some more information about what a covered call is:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Covered_call
P.S. I'm just a worker bee.