Wisnefski becomes ME of Dow Jones FX Trader

Wall Street Journal managing editor Robert Thomson sent out the following staff promotion:

It is with much relish that we announce that Steve “The Wizard” Wisnefski will become DJ FX Trader Managing Editor, in addition to continuing as the senior Newswires editor for North and South America. In our own version of a currency swap, Steve takes the crucial FX mantle from that great galvanizer Gabriella Stern, who is moving to WSJ.com as a Deputy Managing Editor.

Steve will continue to drive the global FX team’s push for scoops and timely analysis on political, economic, corporate and financial themes that influence global currency markets. He will encourage, cajole and rouse reporters around the world to contribute, and his cool and concise commissioning will have my absolute backing. The profound success of our FX wire has created an opportunity for us to effectuate a new form of wire service that is contemporary in character and draws on all the resources of Dow Jones and The Wall Street Journal.

Jim Pensiero, a Deputy Managing Editor of The Wall Street Journal, will continue to help lead DJ FX Trader. Steve will work closely with Jim and with the key regional FX editors, including Michael J. Casey in New York, Ros Mathieson and Billy Mallard in Singapore and Jenny Paris in London. Steve will continue to report to Neal Lipschutz, managing editor of Dow Jones Newswires.

While Steve will retain his current duties, he will be able to turn significant attention to leading the global FX team because of the excellence of his direct reports: Linda Fung, who oversees real-time equities and resources coverage; Michelle LaRoche, who supervises real-time copy desks; Charlie Roth, Latin America editor; and Cristina Aby-Azar, head of Wall Street Journal Americas.

Steve has vast experience across asset classes and oceans. He has served as Newswires top editor for the Americas since September 2010,  has headed Americas commodities and energy coverage, and served as deputy managing editor for U.S. equities coverage. He was the Newswires Chicago bureau chief from 2005 to 2008, and supervised Latin America coverage from 2002 to 2005. He joined Dow Jones in 1997 as a reporter in Sao Paulo, and later became Brazil bureau chief. In 2008, he was a part of a reporting team that won a SABEW Best in Business Award for Breaking News.

Please join me in wishing Steve all the best, and file early and often on anything FX-related,