Yeltsin, Taking Stock of U.S., Tours NYSE

Maverick Soviet politician Boris Yeltsin today visited the heart of American capitalism--the New York Stock Exchange--to get a firsthand glimpse of the inner workings of the American economy.

The Soviet lawmaker toured the trading floor with John Phelan, the chairman of the exchange. Phelan showed Yeltsin, through the help of an interpreter, how the countless video machines on the exchange floor spew out stock quotes and keep tabs on the latest market information.

“He seemed quite interested in the mechanics of the system,” said Sharon Gasmin, a spokeswoman for the exchange.

During Yeltsin’s 15-minute tour, the Soviet politician expressed surprise at the number of women working on the floor of the exchange.

Yeltsin’s trip to Wall Street occurred a day after a meeting with reporters, a helicopter tour of the city and a walk in Central Park, where he shook hands with smiling New Yorkers.

Before answering questions, Yeltsin, who wore a red Soviet flag pin in the lapel of his suit jacket, said he was impressed with the capital of the capitalist world.

“New York is not a series of gravestones with slums in between, but rather the buildings represent a high level of artistic achievement,” he said.

Yeltsin kept up his image as a thorn in Mikhail S. Gorbachev’s side by contending that the Soviet economy is in the worst shape in decades and that the leader is moving too slowly in implementing reforms.

For the economy to recover from its malaise, Moscow would have to step up the pace of reform dramatically and seek assistance from the United States, he said.